


Anonymous asked a question

by kageyama_drama



Series: Anonymous asked a question [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Art School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Art, Art Enthusiast!Kageyama, Art Major!Hinata, Body Paint, Chatting & Messaging, Coffee Shops, Excessive Drinking, Existential Angst, Falling In Love, Flirting, Getting Together, Kageyama works at a bookstore, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nicknames, Online Friendship, Online Romance, Secret Identity, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Stalking, Strangers to Lovers, Texting, Tumblr, Wingman!Yachi, anonymous asks on tumblr, body painting, getting tattoos, hidden identities, kageyama needs to love himself, kind of??, kind of???, maybe a bit of, mentions of - Freeform, slight mention and description of blood, terrible art jokes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 09:19:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10159943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kageyama_drama/pseuds/kageyama_drama
Summary: Anonymous asked a question.There he was.The redhead clicked the notification and waited impatiently for the page to load.“hello again, sunshine! working on any new pieces lately? i’d love to see your progress if you want to share! hope today was great for you!”Hinata grinned from ear to ear as he typed his reply,“i started a new piece just for you, blueberry! here’s what i’ve got so far! :)”~~~~~~the fic where Hinata has an art blog and kageyama is his biggest fan. they meet via an anonymous message and have no idea that they live in the same city (or that they see each other at kageyama's bookstore and hang out all the time) :)feat. Art Major!Hinata and Art Enthusiast/Hinata Fanboy!Kageyama





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is gonna be kind of half chat and half regular writing. hope that's not weird or confusing!!
> 
> hope you enjoy :)  
> let me know what you think and if you want me to continue this!!

Without fail, his heart always hammered in his chest whenever he finally managed to force himself into clicking _post_.

Hinata had sat through and participated in his fair share of class art presentations in the past and yet those never scared him like this did. This was different, somehow.

Despite the anxiety it caused, posting his personal unassigned pieces of art for the small online audience he’d accumulated over the last year was so much better than his skills being scrutinized in front of his professor and thirty classmates every single week. _Why did they have to share their work with everyone every single Wednesday, anyway?_ It was embarrassing, intimidating, and just downright awful.

In the beginning stages of his blog, he’d tried to get rid of the anxiety by telling himself that anyone who saw his work online was: A) a total stranger, B) had no idea who he was, and C) (usually, in his experience) didn’t have an art degree or background. That meant that usually, those who stumbled upon his art saw it at face value; they enjoyed the colors he used and the overall impact of the piece. They saw Hinata’s art for what it was at first glance.

Instead of spouting out pretentious art lingo that they themselves had just learned from a critique the week prior, they’d type lovely simple things in the tags of his posts like “this is GORGEOUS!” and “I love how you draw eyes!” and Hinata’s heart soared. That feeling, right there, was what he felt when he was young and adults would affectionately throw words like ‘talented’ and 'gifted' in his direction. That feeling made him want to improve; to continue creating and growing and expressing himself. That was why he created art.

The people who looked at his work with fresh eyes and open minds seemed to understand and empathize with Hinata so much more than most of his peers in school.

Did that make him a bad artist? If the things he painted or drew or sculpted impressed an audience of non-artists but simultaneously made hardly any impact on an educated audience, was he just not cut out to be an artist at all?

Making art made him feel whole. He couldn’t remember the last time he went a day without creating something – no matter how small or unimportant. Even if he threw it away immediately after finishing. Even if he was the only one to ever see it, it still gave him the outlet he so desperately craved.

A year into university (and his blog), Hinata regularly spent his days in class and his nights behind a computer screen. During the day, he was learning every art medium and technique he could get his hands on while simultaneously preparing himself for the possible failure and criticism that came along with it.

After arriving home to his dorm room and quickly scarfing down the contents of a mediocre (but cheap) cup of ramen, Hinata signed in; searching for that little red notification number. His heart stuttered when he saw it.

_Anonymous asked a question._

There he was.

The redhead clicked the notification and waited impatiently for the page to load.

_“hello again, sunshine! working on any new pieces lately? i’d love to see your progress if you want to share! hope today was great for you!”_

Hinata grinned from ear to ear as he typed his reply, “ _i started a new piece just for you, blueberry! here’s what i’ve got so far! :)”_

This mysterious messenger had sent Hinata his first anonymous string of text over a month ago. With the small number of followers Hinata’s blog had, he’d never received an anonymous message before. So, once this faceless person began to take interest in him, he was fairly certain the daily message (or ten) that came in had to come from the same sender.

The messages were always encouraging. They were filled with sincere thoughts about Hinata’s art and never once made him feel uncomfortable or unable to come up with a decent reply. Blueberry was quick to admit that he loved all types of art (especially Hinata’s), but was never satisfied with anything he tried to create himself. The pair joked that if they ever met, Hinata would try his best to teach him everything he knew.

Hinata felt instantly drawn to this unknown person and he wanted to talk with them more. This inspired the redhead to reply with questions of whether his messaging partner had their own blog along with multiple variations of “ _message me off anon so we can talk more!_ ” before ‘Blueberry’ finally explained.

_“i don’t have a blog, i found yours while randomly searching one day. but i want to talk more, too. :)”_

Not long after, Blueberry was (gently) peer-pressured into creating a blog, to which he added an icon picture of a single, tiny blue fruit – just to make Hinata laugh. He succeeded.

_**blueberry:** there. i made one. you happy now? :)_

_**sunshine** : yes. very :)_

And from there, the two were inseparable. (Digitally, that is.)

Blueberry instantly made Hinata’s days brighter. When school was particularly stressful or discouraging, Blueberry would be there, ready to lift Hinata back up. In return, Hinata loved listening to Blueberry complain about his job and the antics his roommate (who also happened to be his older sister) got into on a daily basis. They hadn’t been speaking for long, but it almost scared Hinata how close he felt to this stranger; how much he had come to depend on him.

 

Hinata found out that Blueberry was male about two weeks into their conversations.

 

_**sunshine** : btw r u a guy or girl or ? i don’t want to call u dude and offend u or anything_

_**blueberry** : you’ve called me dude like 87 times in the last couple weeks u dork_

_**blueberry** : but yeah, im a “dude”_

_**sunshine** : lmao me too_

_**blueberry** : shit. that doesn’t make this weird, does it?_

_**sunshine** : no… why would it?_

_**blueberry** : idk just wasn’t sure if _

_**blueberry** : idk_

_**sunshine** : not to freak u out or anything, but im bi_

_**blueberry** : oh wow_

_**blueberry** : wasn’t expecting that_

_**sunshine** : seriously? why?_

_**blueberry** : idk most of the guys i crush on end up being straight_

_**sunshine** : ok now im offended… u actually thought id be selfish enough to rob a whole group of people of my beauty just because of gender? im disappointed in u, blue_

_**sunshine** : wait_

_**sunshine** : did u say “crush” _

_**blueberry** : gotta blast_

_~_

“Mari, I need serious help today or I might kill someone! Professor Eller kicked me out of class, can you believe that?!”

Wild, red locks bounced above Hinata as he shouted, stomping through the main doors of the campus bookstore. His foot left one final _thump_ as he planted himself in the middle of the room, eyes darting around the store without much actual direction.

“Can I help you find something?”

Hinata stopped his angry tirade and stared directly at the main register. That was definitely not Mari.

“Where’s Mari?! Who the hell are you?” Hinata spat, unintentionally letting his previous anger leak out into his conversation with a complete stranger. As soon as the words fell from his lips, he gave a small wince in apology.

“’Name’s Kageyama. Mari went into labor. She won’t be back for a few months, so I’m filling in.”

Hinata stared, contemplating the stranger’s words. _Mari_ was _super pregnant,_ Hinata thought to himself; his internal rage finally cooled enough to reply intelligently.

“Oh. Nice to meet you... I’m Hinata – kind of a regular customer here.” The redhead held out a small pale hand for the other boy to shake and they stood awkwardly until the introduction was over.

“So, you got kicked out of class – why, exactly?”

“We started charcoal drawing today but I got the wrong kind of paper. What the hell kind of paper do you use with charcoal, anyway?!” Hinata felt the annoyance creeping back into his body and tried to keep his cool as he saw Kageyama stepping out from behind the cash register.

“I’ve got you covered,” The store employee offered to Hinata, gesturing for the small redhead to follow him down an aisle nearby.

As they made their way through the store, Kageyama asked questions about his project like ‘ _Are you using thin pencil charcoal or a thicker stick form?’_ and _‘What color does your professor want?’_ Hinata answered the questions as he followed, and he noticed a few things about the guy in front of him. Firstly, when Kageyama was sitting behind the counter, there was no way to tell just how tall he actually was. When he stood up, however, _holy shit he was a skyscraper._

Hinata wasn’t remarkably tall, himself, but Kageyama legitimately _towered_ over the redhead’s petite frame when they stood near each other. Most might think this would be intimidating for someone like Hinata, but he was surprised to realize that he immediately felt the opposite. Maybe it was the way the dark-haired boy’s voice spoke so carefully and softly or the way he slowed his pace ahead of Hinata so that his _ginormously_ long legs wouldn’t propel him ahead too quickly.

“What you need is a textured paper; something durable and not too delicate.” Kageyama offered Hinata a thick yellow pad of paper that was held together by a spiral binding. Hinata nodded thankfully as they walked back to the register, politely declining when Kageyama asked if he needed help finding anything else.

“Sorry about freaking out, earlier,” Hinata croaked in embarrassment as Kageyama’s scanner beeped over the barcode on the back of his sketchbook.

“Don’t worry about it, I needed some excitement today.” Kageyama smiled in his direction and Hinata could have melted. This guy was super attractive and damn it if his eyes weren’t the perfect shade of blue. Hinata snapped out of shamelessly ogling a stranger to realize that said stranger was still talking and Hinata had no idea what he was saying.

“ – but I’ve never been very good at it, so I just appreciate others who can, you know?”

“Oh, yeah, totally!” Hinata dove back into the conversation completely blind, “Well, anyway, thanks again for your help. I’ll see you around, um –”

“ – Kageyama.” The dark-haired boy reminded him. Hinata nodded energetically as he side-stepped closer and closer to the exit. Kageyama smiled back with a laugh before adding, “Have a great day, Hinata.”

The smaller of the two giggled nervously as he looked back at the bookstore employee and – oh no, what was he doing with his hands? Please, God, not the finger guns.

He did the finger guns. This was humiliating.

“You too, Kageyama!”

The tiny bell attached to the door jingled to signal his exit and Hinata groaned as he sprinted to his bike, contemplating whether avoiding future embarrassment was worth the effort of searching for a new bookstore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i found myself to be on quite the writing roll tonight so i managed to update both of my kagehina fics!! <3
> 
> hope you enjoy this next chapter and if you want to check out my other story that's also ongoing, you can read it [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7109329/chapters/16150381) :)

One night as Hinata tore into a fruit rollup (they were cheap and delicious, okay?!), a message from Blueberry chimed in. As the redhead’s eyes focused on the words, his heart fluttered nervously. The fruity snack unrolled from his teeth and dangled like a long, sugary tongue.

_**blueberry:** sunshine isn’t ur real name, is it?_

_**blueberry:** i mean that’s cool if it is_

_**blueberry:** i actually have a cousin whose name is sunshine… she’s super weird tho_

_**sunshine:** no lol i just didn’t want to give a stranger my real name_

_**sunshine:** wait_

_**sunshine:** is ur real name blueberry, then?_

_**blueberry:** no haha that’s just the nickname my grandma gave me_

_**blueberry:** she’s always said my eyes look like blueberries_

_**sunshine:** that’s… adorable_

Hinata’s eyes bored into his computer screen as his mind imagined what those blueberry eyes would look like in person. The moment he realized he was picturing the eyes of the cute guy that worked at his bookstore, he jolted back in his seat. The guilt that flooded his stomach felt like someone had drenched him in ice water; he almost felt like he was cheating on Blueberry, but that was insane, right? _They didn’t even know each other’s real names!_ How could he cheat on someone he wasn't even technically dating? Someone he had never even seen face-to-face?

The other boy sent a quick “ _making dinner, brb_ ” and Hinata scrolled through his dashboard in his absence, trying to distract himself from the worries bouncing around his brain.

He had just posted a new painting and it was getting a fair amount of attention. He smiled to himself as he kept scrolling past a few reblog and like notifications to see a post from Blueberry; he posted it earlier in the day before Hinata got home from class. It was a simple picture of a generic looking coffee cup, held in what Hinata assumed was his friend’s hand.

The redhead embarrassed himself with how long he must have stared at that slender, long-fingered hand, trying to imagine what the body and face attached to it must look like. He had considered asking for and sharing more personal information with Blueberry several times as they grew closer, but always chickened out at the last second.

The one time he didn’t, however, the pair of online friends learned that they both lived in the same time zone. Hinata knew that wasn’t a huge piece of information to go on, but he smiled to himself at the tiny bit of development.

Sometimes, Hinata wished he wasn’t so paranoid. He wished he could be more like his friends or people in movies who posted all kinds of things online; people who took part in online dating or made internet friends and followed through with plans to meet in person. After what happened to Natsu, though, Hinata knew he could never look at online friendships or relationships the same way without his anxiety pushing him into near-panic attack territory.

A chime sound effect played through his computer's speakers and pulled him out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath and read the incoming words, trying his best to ignore the churning of his stomach.

~

Kageyama felt pretty good today. He sat at his station in the middle of the building, eyes trained on the dated computer screen as he scrolled. The store had been a ghost town all morning and the chill in the air coupled with the sweet scent of freshly brewed coffee forced him to his feet. He pulled the shiny silver call bell out from under the counter and placed it out in the open so if anyone entered the store when he wasn’t there, they would be able to reach him.

He was lucky, not just because the bookstore he worked in had a coffee shop in the back corner, but also because he got free coffee whenever he had a shift. With as many hours as he worked there, he could basically always be found with some form of caffeine in his hand.

After waiting a couple minutes, the blond girl in charge of the coffee shop that day – her nametag read ‘Yachi’ – passed his latte over the bakery case with a smile. Kageyama let the scalding cup warm his hands as he smiled back at her before slipping one of those brown coffee cup sleeves around it. He’d never been very good at making friends, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to try.

Yachi seemed like a sweet girl and the two of them worked together often; maybe she was just as shy as he was. Her hair was fairly short – it sat just above her shoulders - and Kageyama didn’t know a ton about beauty products, but he was fairly certain she had curled her hair with an iron. It looked nice. The store didn’t enforce much of a dress code, but Yachi clearly took her job seriously because she wore an apron over a professional-looking white button-up shirt and pleated skirt that fell to about knee length.

Kageyama knew he was horrible at this, but he also knew he didn’t have a surplus of friends at his disposal so he steeled his nerves and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to ask her how her day was going (or some other generically awkward question) but was interrupted before he could.

“Hellooo, party people of the OSU campus bookstoreee!” Kageyama already knew who was speaking without turning around to look, but he did anyway. The redhead sauntered into the back of the store and waved energetically before slapping both of his palms flat on the coffee counter. “How are my two favorite employees today?”

“You act like you’re our boss or something,” Kageyama tried his best to sound sassy but the smile on his face gave him away.

“Good morning, Hinata,” Yachi smiled sweetly at him, “Hot chocolate again, today?” Kageyama had no clue how Hinata was such a people-person. He wished he could be more like that – able to start conversations with anyone and have people like him instantly because he was friendly and cute. Kageyama was the type of guy that accidentally made babies cry when he smiled at them.

“That’s probably a good idea,” Kageyama teased, “You clearly don’t need any extra caffeine in your body.”

Hinata stuck his tongue out at the taller boy and Kageyama returned the gesture. Yachi fiddled around behind the counter to make Hinata’s drink as she spoke.

“By the way, I’ve made you coffee so many times but I don’t think I even know your name!”

“Oh, this is Kageyama!” Hinata all but shouted in Yachi’s direction, “He may seem like a sourpuss, but if you just talk to him about art stuff, he’s like putty in your hands!”

Kageyama watched, slack jawed as the smaller boy introduced himself _for_ him and Yachi peeked back out from behind a stack of unused coffee cups and giggled. She extended a petite hand for him to shake and they exchanged polite _nice to meet you_ ’s. He had to admit, Hinata was an excellent buffer person when it came to making friends. He could tell that Yachi felt the same way, too.

Hinata had already launched into telling a story about a cat he saw on his way to class that morning when Kageyama absentmindedly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked for any notifications; sure enough, he had missed a message from Sunshine. He probably should’ve felt rude for being on his phone while (sort of?) being a part of another conversation, but neither Hinata or Yachi seemed to notice his attention moving elsewhere.

**_sunshine_** : _good morning! it’s chilly out today (it is here, at least) so don’t forget ur coat! :)_

Kageyama smiled to himself and typed out a reply. As soon as he tapped the _send_ button, the front desk phone rang and he ran off to answer it, shouting a quick “ _Be right back_!” to Hinata and Yachi over his shoulder as he ran.

Just as he finished his cat story, Hinata felt his cell phone vibrate. He pulled it out of the pocket of his jeans and saw a notification from Blueberry. Smiling to himself, he apologized to Yachi for the interruption and she dismissed it, saying that she needed to get back to work anyway. Hinata appreciated her politeness but at the same time wondered what “getting back to work” even meant when the only people currently inside the building were the three of them.

_**blueberry** : it’s cold here, too. wish i could keep u warm, but i guess ur coat will have to suffice for now_

Hinata’s entire body ignited like a match as he read the words on his screen and he couldn’t keep the giant grin off his face. He clicked his phone screen off and then back on and then off again. Yachi must have noticed the shift in his demeanor because she stopped wiping down the counter top and reached a hand over to rest on his shoulder.

“Whatcha smiling about, Hinata?” As soon as she spoke, Kageyama came back into the room and gave them both a funny look. “Texting a _special someone_?”

“No. Yeah, no… Not exactly, um –” Hinata’s words fizzled out until he wasn’t making sound anymore. He could feel Kageyama’s eyes on him but there was no way he was going to make eye contact. Why was he so flustered to talk about this stuff in front of a guy he barely knew? Ironically enough, he barely knew either of the guys currently in question and that thought alone threatened to give him a headache.

“So, uh, are you actually here for art supplies?” Kageyama interrupted Hinata’s flustered mess of a sentence (which Hinata was eternally grateful for), “Or are you just bored and in need of warm chocolate-y beverages?”

“Oh!” Hinata shouted, remembering his actual reason for coming to the store that day, “I’m supposed to be getting a new eraser! I can’t remember the name for it, but it kind of looks like silly putty…?”

“Gotcha covered,” Kageyama answered almost immediately, “You're looking for a kneaded eraser.” Hinata chuckled in response.

“Does he say that to all the customers?” The redhead teased, directing his question at Yachi, “ _My name’s Kageyama, I’m sooo smart and I’ve ‘gotcha covered’!”_ Kageyama’s face went bright red and Yachi giggled softly before replying.

“Pretty sure he only says that when you’re here asking about art stuff.”

Kageyama scoffed, sounding almost annoyed as he walked out of the coffee shop in a way that said _follow me_ without actually saying it.

~

After Hinata had paid for his supplies, he turned to leave and he noticed the weather outside with a groan. Rain was streaming across the pavement and pouring down so quickly from the sky that he couldn’t see past the first row of cars parked in the lot outside. He let out a small sigh and watched as more pellets violently smacked the ground. He was definitely going to be late for his sculpture class.

“Here,” A voice spoke close behind him. Hinata turned to find Kageyama, arm outstretched, offering him an umbrella. “The store doesn’t sell any, but you can use mine.”

“A-are you sure?” Hinata stuttered out, shocked by the kindness of the taller man. He reached a cautious hand out to take the umbrella and accidentally brushed his fingertips across Kageyama’s exposed knuckles. Both of them jolted back as if they’d been electrically shocked and Kageyama practically tossed the umbrella the rest of the way into Hinata’s open palms. The dark-haired giant reached his palm back to awkwardly rub the skin at the base of his neck before he replied.

“Y-yeah, it’s no problem… The rain will probably stop before my shift is over, anyway.” Hinata noticed a light blush on Kageyama’s cheeks as he reassured him with a push toward the door, “Hurry or you’ll be late for class.”

“Uh, yeah o-okay… Thanks, _mom_ ,” He added in an attempt to lighten the serious mood. _Oh, my God_ , he cringed to himself, _if you’re going to always insist on having the last word, at least be a little more creative about it._

How he managed to pedal his bicycle while holding an umbrella all the way to the art building was beyond him, but once he got there and locked up his bike, he pulled out his cell phone. He shrugged to himself as he looked at the time – he was already late anyway, what was another minute or two if he could squeeze in another message to Blueberry?

_**sunshine** : yoo, that message almost killed me… have i ever told u how cute u are? _

_**blueberry** : maybe once or twice ;)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> funny story i actually have a cousin named sunshine and she is actually super weird lmao
> 
> p.s. yoooo our girl yachi is part of the squad now!! i love her so much she's a tiny angel <3
> 
>  
> 
> come scream at/with me on tumblr!! --> kageyama-drama.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so hype about the lovely response this story has gotten so far!! i'm so glad you all are enjoying this AU as much as i am! thank you all for reading and enjoying - your comments make my day!! :)

When Kageyama learned that he was the only employee of the bookstore that wasn’t a student at OSU, he was – understandably – uncomfortable. It plagued his mind almost constantly. 

He knew how lucky it was that he was basically the same age as all the students that visited; hardly anyone ever even noticed that he wasn’t there on work study like all the other store workers. The cold, familiar pang of guilt and worthlessness rolled around in his gut as he walked through the courtyard.

Being enthralled by every aspect of art - how it was created, all the different ways it could be interpreted, how a single painting could be planned out for years in advance while another could be painted in an hour - while being simultaneously and unceremoniously _inept_ was exhausting. Kageyama's friends in high school jokingly warned him to stay away from art school so he could avoid becoming a 'disappointment to his parents', but that just made him wonder even more: how disappointed must his parents be, now?

He was an untalented art enthusiast with buckets of creativity pumping through every cell in his body, but he couldn't seem to concentrate it anywhere. No matter how hard he tried, he would never feel good enough.

People who should’ve been his classmates and peers were littered all around him – talking and laughing while lying in the grass, sitting on benches, some even climbing trees. Kageyama felt something longing and wistful fill him up and tingle through his limbs.  

Before he could fully notice his actions, his thumbs were typing and sending a message to Sunshine. It was like muscle memory.

 **_blueberry_ ** _: have you ever felt nostalgic for something you’ve never had or a place you’ve never been? is there a word for that?_

Sunshine hadn’t responded right away and Kageyama was thankful. After rereading the question, he realized how random and embarrassing it had been especially without any context.

Kageyama turned the corner, moving through an open doorway and down a familiar hallway, but something _unfamiliar_ hit him right away. He came to a screeching halt. Luckily, the small building was almost entirely empty, save for a short woman struggling to unfold an oversized step-ladder.

“Need some help?” Kageyama offered, slipping his phone into his back pocket and setting down his bag. The badge – the fine print told him that she went by ‘Ōno-Sensei’ - held by a lanyard around her neck informed him that she taught art. That feeling from before ran cold in his veins again; if he was a student there, he’d probably be enrolled in at least one of her classes.

Her hair was mousey brown and almost all her features were dainty and soft. A thin pearl necklace dangled across her collarbones and Kageyama could tell just from spending a few moments with her that she blushed easily. He wondered to himself how she taught people his age; they all tended to be loud and energetic and those traits didn’t seem to mingle well with her quiet, shy persona.

The professor accepted his help – not before thanking him repeatedly – and Kageyama soon found himself setting up the ladder and climbing toward the ceiling. The walls around him were covered with student-made paintings and she explained that they all needed to be removed by the end of the hour so the next class could replace them with their own. Ōno-Sensei assigned him to clearing the highest part of the wall while she took responsibility of what she could reach below him.

Kageyama’s eyes focused on the first painting he saw and he choked on his own tongue. The colors gracefully spread around to form a skyline, the blunt but soft strokes that ghosted across the horizon, the texture left behind from the brush as it dried at the edges. It was all _way_ too familiar.

“Who painted this?” The dark-haired man all but yelled, causing the small woman below him to jump with a start. His eyes wildly searched the canvas for a signature but was met with disappointment.

“Ah, let’s see,” Ōno replied as he passed it down the ladder for her to inspect. She held it gently, turning it in slightly ink-stained hands, “It looks like they forgot to sign it. Why do you ask?”

Kageyama shouted internally. _What horrible luck._

Kageyama acknowledged his frustration by throwing even more frustration at himself. Why was he getting his hopes up? Just because this random, unnamed student’s painting _just happened_ to remind him of Sunshine didn’t mean anything. What were the chances that his online… _friend(?)_ had been so close-by all this time? _Practically nonexistent_.

“Would you like to keep it?” Sensei offered in reply to his silence, causing Kageyama’s heart to flutter without warning, “These pieces are from last semester, anyway… Whoever made it hasn’t come back to claim it.”

Once Kageyama was sure all the high-up paintings had been taken care of, he dismissed himself and Sensei thanked him once more as he walked away with a bashful wave.

He stared down at the canvas in his hands as he walked, careful to hold it by the wooden frame underneath so as not to let his skin touch the dried paint or fabric. Examining a thick splotch of purple in the top left corner, Kageyama made his decision: He wasn’t going to tell Sunshine about the painting. It was just too far-fetched and (possibly) creepy.

Once he reached the bookstore and settled in at the front desk, he checked his phone.

 **_sunshine_ ** _: ooo so poetic today, blue ;)_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i googled ur problem and found “anemoia”_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: but that technically means “nostalgia for a time you’ve never known” so that might not help_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: not quite right_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: but thanks for trying :) any new pieces lately?_

 **_sunshine:_ ** _class ended early & i really want to draw but i have no inspiration! _

**_sunshine_ ** _: …help?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: draw me_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: u understand that i have no idea what u look like, right?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: obviously, dumbass_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: draw what you think i look like_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: i mean, only if u want to_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i’ll see what i can do :)_

When he finally made it home after work that night, Kageyama rushed to his bedroom and mounted the unnamed painting above his bed.

 

~

 

“Oh, dear all-knowing, all-seeing, art connoisseur Kageyama! Please help me!”

Hinata’s daily (and ridiculous) visits didn’t even surprise Kageyama anymore. His regular appearances happened almost every single weekday but never at the same time; Hinata was clearly a very impulsive decision maker. The redhead seemed to always burst through the door with a teasing comment ready to playfully toss in the bookstore employee’s direction, but Kageyama would spike it down instantly with his own secret weapon: a smile.

 

The first time it happened, it had been an accident. Hinata had leapt through the front door shouting, _“POP QUIZ: What did Michelangelo say to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?”_

Kageyama deadpanned in Hinata’s direction before muttering under his breath, _“I swear to God if this is another cringey art joke…”_

_“... I’ve got you covered!”_

Kageyama brought his palm to his forehead exaggeratedly as Yachi laughed from out of sight in the coffee shop. He had to stop himself from shouting “ _Don’t encourage him!”_ in her direction. Hinata rested the weight of his crossed arms on the counter across from Kageyama; his face held a hopeful, pleading expression.

 _“Ehh? Get it? ’I’ve got you covered’!”_ Hinata poked a finger into the tanned skin of Kageyama’s forearm, _“Because he painted the entire ceiling but... mostly because… you… always say that…?”_ The small redhead’s sentence drifted off, realizing that the more he explained the joke the less funny it got.

Kageyama wanted so badly to leave Hinata hanging; he wanted to ignore the joke and maybe silently convince Hinata that he didn't need a joke or one-liner every time he entered the store. Instead, though, he found himself giddy with the fact that the redhead had specifically selected his joke of the day to not only cater to their shared love of art but also to quote Kageyama. He couldn’t help the giant smile that took over his entire face.

All the blood drained from Hinata’s expression and he yelped at the sight of Kageyama’s smile, pushing himself back from the counter so quickly that he almost tripped over his own feet.

 _“Scary!”_ Hinata muttered, turning his back on Kageyama and grasping the chest of his own t-shirt in his fist. _“Your smile is scary!”_

Any smile or fuzzy feeling inside Kageyama quickly escaped him, followed by an embarrassed and defensive  _“Shut up!”_ for good measure.

 

Kageyama snapped out of the memory and sent a small, forced smile in Hinata’s direction, “What are you here for, dumbass?”

“First of all, that’s no way to speak to your favorite customer,” Hinata replied with a wink, walking down a nearby aisle; Kageyama had done this often enough to know that Hinata wanted him to follow, “Secondly, I need your advice on the colors for my current project.”

He followed Hinata across the store until they reached the shelf that held the oil paint. Kageyama found it odd that Hinata dragged him along on these art-themed missions every single day under the guise of “needing assistance” and yet he knew his way around the store just as well as anyone that worked there, plus, his college major forced him to know most of the basic rules of art. Kageyama knew the redhead could adequately mix color and pick out a pleasant-looking composition, so why did he always ask Kageyama for help?

Hinata stared intensely, rubbing his chin with a hand. His nose was practically buried in the shelf of paint in front of him; he shuffled through several blue-hued bottles as he wondered aloud, “I’ve tried mixing so many different shades but nothing works right. This should be simple, dammit.”

“So… You need a blue. What kind of blue, exactly?” Kageyama asked.

“Blueberry blue.”

Kageyama choked at Hinata's answer, reaching a hand to steady himself on a nearby shelf. Hinata raised an eyebrow questioningly and propped an arm on his hip as he watched with concern. 

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Kageyama let out a final cough before crouching down to reach a bottle of deep blue paint on the bottom shelf. He shoved the plastic bottle into Hinata's open palm and walked away, sending a flustered "This should do the trick" over his shoulder as he left. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the inside of kageyama's brain is probably blasting that siren song from kill bill right about now 
> 
> hmu on tumblr if that's your thing! ---> kageyama-drama.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: [BUZZICHAN IS AT IT AGAIN WITH THE BEAUTIFUL ART FOR THIS FIC I AM NOT WORTHY](http://kageyama-drama.tumblr.com/post/159076515964/reupload-because-tobio-s-face-needed-some)
> 
> yo this one is kinda long!  
> hope it doesn't bore you, lmao - enjoy!!  
> comments/kudos/general screaming always appreciated! :)
> 
> (JUST REALIZED I SHOULD PROBABLY ADD: there's slight mention and description of blood near the end of this chapter so if that freaks you out, please read carefully!)

**_sunshine:_ ** _class is soooo boring this morning_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: entertain me, my lovely blueberry_

 **_blueberry:_ ** _texting in class is frowned upon, sir_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: but because i’m bored at work and u called me ur “lovely blueberry” i’ll cave_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: don’t get caught tho ok?_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i’ll see what i can do_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: :)_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: in other news, do u have ANY idea how hard it is to draw someone based only on their personality? because that’s my current predicament_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: do U have any idea how difficult it is to draw literally anything when you don’t have talent? i’d kill for ur artistic abilities, lol_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: hey! drawing/painting/art in general isn’t only about talent! i can tell how much you love it – you just need to practice and work on finding the right medium for u!_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: i feel like i’ve tried everything tho_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: i’m pretty useless at most things… doubt i’ll ever find a job i actually enjoy_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: :( please don’t talk like that…_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: u aren’t useless at ALL… & i’m going to help u find ur dream job, ok??_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: promise?_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: promise :)_

“Good morning, Kageyama!” Yachi’s sing-songy tone drifted through the air along with the scent of coffee, causing him to nervously shut off his phone and stow it in his pocket for safe-keeping. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt oddly protective of his phone now that he talked with Sunshine so frequently. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed by their conversations (they had never talked about anything he considered to be uncomfortable other than poorly executed attempts at flirting), but it was almost like he wanted to keep Sunshine all to himself. He knew his possessiveness was silly the moment he realized it was there but that didn’t change how he felt.

“Good morning, Yachi.” The dark-haired boy smiled in her direction as she handed him a warm cup and he thanked her shortly after his first sip.

Ever since Hinata had become a daily (and sometimes even more frequent) visitor to the bookstore, he had basically forced Kageyama and Yachi to become friends – which Kageyama was grateful for. Before the energetic redhead introduced them, they would awkwardly shuffle around each other in the bookstore whenever Kageyama wanted coffee or Yachi passed by to leave for the day. Now they were close enough that Yachi regularly made and brought him his favorite caramel latte before hopping up to sit on the counter beside him to gossip.

“I wonder when Hinata will stop by today,” The tiny blonde questioned aloud as she flipped through a magazine. Kageyama cautiously slipped his phone back out of his pocket, making sure that Yachi wasn’t paying attention before turning on the screen.

“I’m sure he’ll show up soon,” Kageyama replied as he noticed a missed message.

 ** _sunshine_** : _ah finally class is over!_

“Good morning, lovelies!” A bright booming voice flooded into the room and Kageyama jumped so violently that his phone clattered down onto the desk before he clutched it to his chest and clicked the screen off once more. He scowled at the small redhead that skipped over and claimed a spot next to Yachi on Kageyama’s counter.

“Oi, this isn’t a park bench!” Kageyama halfheartedly scolded as he gave his friend’s back a light push. He was almost positive that Hinata mastered some dark magical spell that made other people incapable of being genuinely mad at him. A giggle made its way out of Hinata’s throat and Kageyama couldn’t hold back his smile.

“Hot cocoa?” Yachi asked as she slid down off the desk and made her way to the coffee shop. Hinata nodded furiously and shouted “ _extra whip, please!”_ after her. Once she was out of sight, he twisted his body around to face Kageyama and brought his knees up to his chest, hugging his arms around them.

Kageyama noticed the tiny shiver that made its way through Hinata’s body and before he could second-guess himself, he gathered his oversized sweater up off the back of his chair and tossed it in the other boy’s direction. Hinata’s face flushed and his eyes grew wide as he realized what Kageyama was offering him, but before he could comment on it the taller boy had already started a new topic of conversation.

“So, um… How did the paint work out for you?” Kageyama’s eyes stayed focused on the smooth plane of the countertop. He hoped Hinata couldn’t see the blush that spread across the tips of his ears.

“Oh, it was perfect! It’s honestly the only part of the piece that I’m satisfied with right now,” Hinata’s voice was muffled as he searched for a way out of the massive sweater. When his head finally found an opening, it popped out and he gasped for air in a way that was almost comical before adding, “Thanks again for your help.”

Just as Hinata managed to navigate his arms through the extra-long sleeves, Yachi returned with his hot drink and he took it excitedly. Kageyama tried his hardest not to watch the redhead as he struggled to hold the cup in his fabric-covered hands; no matter how many times Hinata tried to push the sleeves up, they would slump right back down over his knuckles once more. _It was adorable._

Hinata didn’t notice Kageyama watching him just like Kageyama didn’t notice when, moments later, Hinata tucked his smiling face into the neck of the sweater and inhaled fresh air and cologne.

Yachi, however, noticed all of it.

“Ahem, _so_ … A friend of mine is having a house party next weekend,” She began before blowing on her own fresh cup of coffee. Hinata’s eyes lit up like stars as the words processed in his mind; he let out the early stages of his excitement in a high-pitched “ _uuwahh!”_ as Yachi continued, “And you’re both more than welcome to come, if you’re interested.”

“Ooo, yes! I haven’t been to any parties yet this semester! What time does it start?” Hinata all but shouted before taking another sip of his steaming cocoa.

“Next Friday around nine. I'll text you the address!” Yachi answered with an excited waver to her voice; she clearly wanted Hinata to be at this party. Kageyama couldn’t blame her, though, because anyone who had ever met Hinata knew that bringing him to a party would only make it that much more entertaining.

“I’ll be there!” Hinata squeaked before turning his attention back on Kageyama, “What about you? You’ll come too, right?”

Kageyama knew that question was coming but he still hadn’t prepared himself to answer it. The thought of his first (and probably only) college party was equal parts exciting and daunting; he wasn’t a social butterfly like Hinata and he knew for a fact that he and Yachi were the only people he’d even _recognize_ there. What if they left him alone? What if he had to make conversation with total strangers? Just the thought of those possibilities sent anxiety surging through his body and beads of sweat prickling his palms.

“Ehh,” Kageyama began with an uneasy groan, “I’m not very good at parties. Plus, I don’t even attend school here…”

“No one there will even notice!” Yachi offered, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, it actually managed to calm him a bit.

“Don’t worry, Kageyama!” Hinata encouraged him with that sunny smile of his, “We won’t leave your side! Plus, if you ever want to go home, just tell me and we’re out of there faster than you can say ‘social anxiety’!”

Hinata - no matter how loud and energetic and wild he was – was an amazing friend. He could so easily make fun of Kageyama for his awkwardness, but instead he was supportive and understanding. How could Kageyama possibly refuse the party invitation when the small redhead made it sound so easy? He rolled his eyes at the two pleading students in front of him and took a deep breath before nodding softly in approval. Their screams of success and anticipation rang in his ears and he couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

 

~

 

 **_sunshine:_ ** _i can’t sleep :(_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: then let’s talk :)_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i didn’t wake u did i?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: nope! i just got in bed_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: good! so i’ve been thinking about earlier_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: uh oh, sunshine’s been thinking again_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: oi! rude! ;)_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: lolol jk, go on_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: so u love art but feel like u can’t successfully create it… & it’s what ur most passionate about, right?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: yeah…?_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: so hear me out – my class was discussing their majors today and it made me think of u_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: have u ever considered art history? maybe being a curator?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: huh. don’t think i have, actually… sounds kinda nice_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i just thought that if u really wanted to be involved in art, a career like that might be a good option!_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: damn, what a cool idea…_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: wow… i don’t know what i’d do without u_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: hahah but seriously tho just think about it, ok?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: i’m serious… meeting u is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me_

 **_sunshine_ ** _:_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: uh… hello? sorry if that was too much…_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: warn me before u send adorable stuff like that, sheesh i almost DIED_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: oh… sorry :)_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i feel the same, though_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: talking to u makes me so happy it should probably be illegal_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: damn i really hope you aren’t some 40 yr old pedo because i really like u_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: lmfao ur the only person i know that can kill the mood and give me butterflies in the same sentence_

 

_~_

 

On nights when they shared the task of closing the store together (which was almost every night of the week at this point), Kageyama insisted on walking Yachi to her car in the parking lot. The sun had already set as she waved goodbye from behind the steering wheel; Kageyama returned the gesture and walked back through the ‘ _employees only’_ door. His bike was parked at the opposite end of the building and he found it easier to walk through one last time just to make sure everything was locked up properly.

His hand grazed along the tops of all the machines in the coffee shop as he walked, searching for any sign of heat to make sure Yachi hadn’t forgotten to turn any of them off before she left. He glanced behind the cash register and noticed that she had forgotten her cell phone. He rolled his eyes in realization that since her phone was _there_ , he had absolutely no way to let her know she’d forgotten it. He shrugged, knowing that they had shifts together the next morning and she could retrieve it then.

As his fingertips brushed the cold steel of the cappuccino maker, he heard the jingle of the front door’s bell and his heart thundered in his chest. Sure, he hadn’t locked the front entrance yet, but the sign hanging from it read ‘ _closed.’_ He tried to convince himself that it could be Yachi coming back in search of her phone, but he knew she wouldn’t use the front entrance if she did.

Half of the store’s florescent ceiling lights were already shut off for the night and the atmosphere it gave off sent a chill up Kageyama’s spine. He tip-toed across the hardwood floor and reached out blindly, grabbing the first item he could get his hands on; he looked down to find an OSU-branded metal ruler gripped in his palm. It wasn’t his first choice of defensive weaponry, but he would have to manage.

As he rounded the corner with the ruler held tightly between both hands, he saw the source of his panic curled up on the floor, leaning against the front desk for support. The instant he saw the red tufts of hair, he knew who the sniffling intruder was. What he didn’t notice right away, though, was the blood.

“H-Hinata?” Kageyama’s voice shook violently as he surged forward to join his small friend on the floor, discarding the useless ruler-weapon before grasping the redhead’s upper arm.

“Hey… um, sorry about this…” Hinata began; his fingers trembled under Kageyama’s touch. Kageyama laughed dryly in response as he surveyed the blood seeping from beneath the ripped knee of Hinata’s jeans. Only _Hinata_ could feel the need to apologize as a silent painful tear slid down his cheek; he cradled his wounded leg and kept his eyes low to avoid further embarrassment.

“What the hell happened?!”

“Uh, well, I came by to return your umbrella but I may or may not have crashed my bike in the parking lot.” A crimson-colored blush flooded Hinata’s cheeks as Kageyama shook his head in amused disbelief and let out a chuckle in the direction of the discarded umbrella on the floor. He rose to his feet and looked back down at his friend.

“Can you walk?”

Hinata nodded before attempting to push himself up with his hands, but Kageyama immediately recognized the pain on Hinata’s face and rushed back to his side.

“Nope, never mind. Come here.” Before Hinata could protest, Kageyama scooped the smaller man up in his arms and whisked him off to the employee breakroom.

Kageyama wasted no time when they arrived; he steadied the shorter man on the edge of the industrial-sized sink and made sure to be gentle when he situated his legs inside the large, empty basin. He eyed the torn fabric of Hinata’s jeans curiously.

“Go ahead,” Hinata muttered. His cheeks were still pink - probably from being carried bridal style across the bookstore without warning, “I didn’t like these jeans, anyway.”

Kageyama smiled softly before tearing the remaining scrap of denim down and off Hinata’s now bare leg. To avoid thinking too long about the fact that he had _technically_ just ripped an article of clothing off Hinata’s body, Kageyama reached to the faucet and let the water run until it felt warm on his fingers. Grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall, he began to dab away the blood that dripped down Hinata’s pale shin.

“You, um… You don’t have to do this,” Hinata stuttered as he watched Kageyama’s skilled hands clean his wound. Despite being a giant (in Hinata’s eyes, at least), Kageyama took care of the injury with more gentleness and concern than Hinata knew he was capable of. “I can… do this myself.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kageyama reassured as he turned the water off and patted the skin dry with a fresh towel, “My older sister used to get hurt all the time when we were younger; she was a total klutz. I’ve patched a few skinned knees in my day, it’s not a big deal.” Kageyama smiled before making his way across the room and opening a tall metal cabinet. He returned with a first aid kit in his hands and popped it open.

Hinata could only manage to nod and reply with an uncharacteristically quiet _“thank you”_ as he continued to watch Kageyama work his magic. The dark-haired man asked if he preferred regular band aids over wrapped bandages and Hinata quirked an eyebrow.

“Do the band aids have designs on them?” Kageyama chuckled at the childish question and his nose crinkled when he smiled.

“We have Disney princesses, ones that look like crayons, and glow-in-the-dark,” Kageyama extended the three options in his hands with the elegance of a waiter offering expensive wine. Hinata giggled and gestured towards the boxes.

“I’ll take the glow-in-the-dark, please!” Kageyama bowed exaggeratedly and set the unwanted boxes down on the table behind him before applying the first bandage. Hinata guessed that – by the size of his wound – he would need about four band aids and he was right; his skin tingled as Kageyama’s slender fingers found his leg once more, smoothing down the adhesive to make sure it stayed.

“Good to go,” Kageyama exclaimed, feeling accomplished. He stepped away from the sink to discard the bandage wrappers and when he came back, he absentmindedly gripped the edge of the sink on either side of Hinata’s hips; his eyes surveyed the redhead’s knee once more to make sure everything was covered.

When he looked up, his blue eyes sank directly into the brown of Hinata’s and he couldn’t stop himself from taking in a surprised gasp of air. _When did he get so close?_

Hinata’s gaze was the first to break contact, but only so it could focus on Kageyama’s lips instead; they both were certain that the other could hear their thrumming heartbeats in the silence of the room.

“Ohmigosh, Hinata! What happened?!”

Yachi’s voice rang loudly from the doorway and the pair ripped apart so quickly that Hinata slipped off the edge and fell into the sink with a _splash_. The phone in her hands told Kageyama that she had indeed come back to the store to retrieve it. He shoved his body away from the sink and leaned against the wall farthest away from Hinata in an attempt to look casual. He didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i may or may not be questioning the "wingman!yachi" tag i used...  
> considering the addition of "cockblock!yachi" ... lik dis if u cry evertim
> 
> hmu on tumblr---> kageyama-drama.tumblr.com
> 
> UPDATE: [BUZZICHAN IS AT IT AGAIN WITH THE BEAUTIFUL ART FOR THIS FIC I AM NOT WORTHY](http://kageyama-drama.tumblr.com/post/159076515964/reupload-because-tobio-s-face-needed-some)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay dudes so this chapter and the next were originally written as one huge chapter but i thought it was just way too long (plus i wanted the party to be it's own separate chapter) so yeah!
> 
> if this chap seems kinda short it was semi-intentional haha
> 
> (chapter 6 should be up within the next day or so!)

**_sunshine:_ ** _good morning! :)_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: good morning, sunshine :)_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: how ya doin on this beautiful thursday?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: good except for having to deal with sister drama_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: what did she do now? lmao_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: she had training camp the last few days and while she was there she sprained her ankle_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: omg poor thing!!_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: yeah she’s a dork. she’ll be fine, she’s just super upset because now she can’t go to regionals_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: that sucks! tell her i’d play for her but i doubt i'd be any good at volleyball_

_**blueberry** : lmao she smiled and said "thank you, sunshine!"_

**_sunshine_ ** _: lol!! hmmm... i’ve always been able to jump pretty high though so maybe i wouldn’t be half bad??_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: huh.. you never know :p_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: so you said she’s older than you?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: yeah, by 2 years so we’ve always been pretty close… it makes being roommates super easy lol_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: our personalities are complete opposites so she drives me crazy most of the time_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: but i love her haha. you said you had a sister, too, right?_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: yeah… i do_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: sheesh here i am always going on and on about mine and you hardly ever mention yours! haha_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: my sister is awesome, lol. her name is natsu_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: yeah i don’t really talk about her much, just kind of out of habit. she’s younger than me. she and my parents moved super far away when i started college_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: oh wow… can i ask why?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: you don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: no it’s okay_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: this whole thing is actually the reason i’m so paranoid about online friends and stuff… and why i haven't given you my real name. so you kinda deserve to know haha_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: oh… ok_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: long, traumatizing story short – natsu signed up for a dating app (like tinder or something) and for a few months everything was fine_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: but then this one girl she was talking to was actually lying about being a guy… and he stalked her_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: it was really scary_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: omg no kidding!_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: then one night i was home alone and the guy broke into our house looking for her_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: we still have no idea how he figured out our address_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: holy shit…_

 **_blueberry:_ ** _what happened??_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i was still awake (drawing of course lmao) and when i heard the back door open i knew something was wrong_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: so, embarrassingly enough, i didn’t really have any weapons to protect myself… the best option i had was a ruler and i was like "how could that possibly protect me??" lmao_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: … whoa..._

 **_sunshine_ ** _: so obviously when he found me he overpowered me and knocked me out_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: when i woke up, i was in the hospital with a black eye, broken wrist, and a few other bruises_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: needless to say my parents wanted to get out of tokyo as quickly as possible so it was lucky that i was leaving for school anyway_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: i can’t believe all of this happened to you… i’m so sorry…_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: don’t be_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: my sister and family are safe now and the whole thing is behind us. i’m just extra careful online, now yknow?_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: i totally understand_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: i really hope i’ve never made you uncomfortable after all that_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: not even once. don’t worry :)_

______

At almost the exact instant Kageyama’s tall frame disappeared around the corner, Yachi dove in.

“Okay, what the hell is going on with you guys?” The small blonde whisper-yelled, her fingers digging uncomfortably into the skin of Hinata’s shoulders. He pushed her away gently, raising an eyebrow to feign innocence.

“W-what do you mean? _Nothing’s_ going on…” If Yachi asked, Hinata might be able to blame his blushing cheeks on the warmth emanating from his hot cocoa.

“Come _on_ , Hinata,” She clearly wasn’t buying the looks of protest he shot back at her, “When I came back last night, you two were definitely having a moment.”

“A… _moment_?” The redhead echoed, racking his brain for a new conversation topic that would distract her away from the current one. He came up with nothing, “You’re crazy.”

“Boy…! I know a moment when I see one!” Her hands found his shoulders again and shook him back and forth. “You were having a moment!”

“A moment that _you_ ruined!” Hinata blurted out, slapping his hands over his mouth the second the words left him. Yachi’s eyes expanded into giant brown planets and she yelped in excitement.

“I knew it!” A few more squeals left her throat while Hinata tried to calm her down. He jumped down off Kageyama’s desk and squeezed her arms tightly with both hands.

“Shut… Yachi! Oh my god, shut up!!” His voice plummeted from full-on yelling to a low whisper in a matter of milliseconds as he pulled her face close to his. “Shut. Up.”

The blonde girl paid full attention to Hinata as he silently scolded her, but he could tell that a smile was threatening to bubble up to the surface of her expression. She was almost visibly vibrating with unused energy and Hinata had to hold her in place to keep her from jumping up and down. His eyes narrowed as a smirk emerged from the silence between them and Yachi’s voice leaked past her lips in a quick, loud shout.

“I ship it!”

“OH MY GOD, YACHI!” Hinata was in near hysterics, praying that the small number of customers milling about the bookstore hadn’t heard his friend’s outburst. He locked eyes with a short brunette guy who gave him a funny look and someone on the other side of a bookshelf coughed awkwardly.

“You need to ship something, Yachi? I have stamps in the backroom if you need any,” Kageyama’s voice came from seemingly out of nowhere and Hinata’s heart could have imploded from the shock. Yachi, on the other hand, was laughing like their conversation was the funniest thing she had ever witnessed.

The awkwardness and confusion that radiated between Kageyama and Hinata in that moment was completely lost on Yachi as she gasped for breath. Kageyama cocked his head to the side in a way that Hinata couldn't help but compare to a confused puppy and the redhead had to consciously  _hold himself back_ from whining at the adorable sight. Kageyama cleared his throat and tried to change the subject, much to Hinata’s appreciation.

“So, the party is tomorrow,” Kageyama began, earning a nervous smile from Hinata as he made his way back to the chair behind the desk. Hinata and Yachi hopped back up on the counter one-by-one to join him as he fidgeted with a pad of post-it notes near his computer.

“Right! Give me your cell number, Kageyama! I already have Hinata’s but I need to text you both the address.”

Kageyama recited the digits back to his blonde friend and she immediately typed them into her cell phone. Within thirty seconds, a group text caused Hinata and Kageyama’s phones to buzz in their pockets. They checked the message as Yachi continued their conversation aloud.

“I can pick you both up beforehand, if you’d like! I don’t drink so I can be your designated driver.” Yachi smiled at them while absentmindedly clicking the hairpin she always wore in her hair open and closed. It was adorned with two tiny blue stars and complimented her eyes nicely. 

“Oh, actually,” Kageyama began, studying the content of the message he’d received, “I actually live right up the block from this house so I can just walk.” Yachi nodded in understanding as she took a sip of her morning coffee.

“Can I still get a ride?” Hinata chimed in, sending a sweet smile in Yachi’s direction. She approved his request and they chattered among themselves while Kageyama’s thoughts wandered.

The anxiety was still very present in his mind no matter how reassuring and supportive his friends were. If he was honest with himself, his anxiety levels had actually escalated quite a bit after alcohol was mentioned.

Kageyama had been of legal drinking age for a couple years at that point and he had nothing against alcohol, but he didn’t have much experience with it personally. He’d shared a beer or two with his dad in the past, but had never gotten completely drunk; the concept was rather daunting, in his opinion.

What would he act like when he was drunk? He’d heard many stories throughout the years – horror, comedy, you name it – about the many different “types” of drunk people. Kageyama’s grandfather hiccupped a lot when he drank and his sister had once tried to drunkenly fistfight the shower curtain in their bathroom. A friend of his in high school got wasted the night of graduation and sobbed uncontrollably for hours on end. (It was worth mentioning, however, that Kageyama wasn’t sure if that was caused by alcohol or just from being emotional about leaving high school. Or maybe a mixture of the two.)

“Is there usually a lot of drinking at these parties?” Kageyama’s lips finally let go of the question he’d been trying to hold back. A slight blush dusted his cheeks as he hoped the question wouldn’t come off too childish.

“Not always, and you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Yachi answered with a smile. Kageyama felt – for what was probably the millionth time – grateful to be surrounded by such accepting people on a daily basis. He could name a few peers from high school that would’ve teased him for asking the question he just did. He was so lucky to finally understand how it felt to be a part of a close group that cared about each other no matter what and they had accepted him into their little group so easily! He smiled softly to himself at the thought.

“I don’t actually drink that often… I’m not against it or anything; I’ve just never really had a reason or opportunity to get drunk, y’know?”

“I would pay money to see what you’re like when you’re drunk!” Hinata teased. He smiled playfully as his short legs swung from side to side of the edge of the counter. Kageyama stuck his tongue out and nudged the redhead’s shoulder with his own.

“I doubt I’d be very different from my normal self…” The dark-haired man retorted defensively before Yachi jumped back into the conversation.

“That’s probably true,” She offered, “Hinata is pretty much just like normal when he’s drunk… Except he’s louder and clumsier and wilder.” The end of her statement faded into giggles when Hinata interjected a playful _“hey!”_ in self-defense before both Hinata and Kageyama joined in on laughing along with her.

“Uh oh, who’s gonna wrangle in this tiny beast at the party?” Kageyama’s question was meant as a joke. He thought that when the words came out of his mouth they had sounded playful, but Hinata’s facial expression quickly turned serious.

“You’ll make sure I don’t do anything stupid, right Kageyama?” The pout that inhabited Hinata’s features was enough to stop Kageyama’s heart right then and there. He took in an involuntary gasp of air before (yet another) blush colored his face. He wasn’t entirely sure his previous blush had even had time to go away yet.

“Of- of _course_ , dumbass!” He stammered, “As long as you do the same for me! That’s why we’re all going together anyway, right?”

At Kageyama’s reassuring words, Hinata’s face instantly changed back into a smile and Kageyama’s blush flared up yet again.

Yachi was almost positive she could see hearts in both of their eyes and giggled to herself before muttering to no one in particular, “This is gonna be one _hell_ of a party.”

_\---_

**_blueberry:_ ** _holy crap i’m so glad it’s friday!!_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: me too! class has been extra obnoxious this week :(_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: same here (but with work, obviously haha)_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: any plans this weekend?_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: yep!_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: i’m hanging out with some friends tonight_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: me too actually!_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: oh wow what a coincidence! i was just about to apologize for not being able to hang out w/ u haha_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: lol same here :p well, have fun tonight then!_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: you too! :) i’ll be sure to get online asap tomorrow so i can catch you up on how my portrait of you is going_

 **_blueberry_ ** _: ooo please do :)_

 **_sunshine_ ** _: see u later :)_

 

Hinata had just tapped the _send_ button and turned off his phone screen when another message buzzed in. Assuming it was just Blueberry saying goodbye, he didn’t even read the notification before swiping on it, but when it opened his text messages instead of the direct messages of his blog, his heart skipped a beat. His eyes instinctively jumped around the crowded classroom to make sure his professor didn't notice he was on his phone. Once the coast was clear, he read the new message.

 

**-New Text Message-**

**From: Kageyama Tobio**

Hey, Hinata!

Sorry to bother you but what time did the party start tonight?

 

**-New Text Message-**

**To: Kageyama Tobio**

Wow Kageyama how did you already forget?? :p

It starts at 9pm :)

 

**-New Text Message-**

**From: Kageyama Tobio**

Ohhh right… Sorry, I forgot lol

See you tonight :)

 

Hinata had a strange, hopeful feeling in the pit of his stomach that Kageyama hadn’t really forgotten and was texting him just because he wanted to talk to him. His fluttering heart made him painfully aware of the conflicting tugs of guilt, excitement, and nervousness swirling around in his chest as he typed out a reply.

 

**-New Text Message-**

**To: Kageyama Tobio**

See you then :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, Blueberry completely freaked out when Sunshine mentioned that he only had a ruler to protect him...  
> he was like "wtf are the chances omg" but didn't want to interrupt Sunshine's story so he just kind of screamed internally and moved on
> 
> also!! the natsu backstory is finally here!!  
> if anyone cares or is wondering, she's bisexual (in my au at least lmao) ... the hinata clan is just an extremely bisexual bunch apparently
> 
> ~
> 
> scream at me on tumblr if you like!! ---> kageyama-drama.tumblr.com :)
> 
> (chapter 6 should be up within the next day or so!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [EDIT: THIS CHAPTER OFFICIALLY HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FANART WTF](http://kageyama-drama.tumblr.com/post/158874945354/i-beat-all-my-previous-personal-bests-by-spending)
> 
> hi. 
> 
> sooooo this may or may not be the longest chapter of possibly anything i've ever posted ever lmao
> 
> ***ALSO***  
> this chapter upped the rating of this fic so BEWARE!  
> it contains spooky things such as excessive alcohol use, language, and implied sexcapades
> 
> proceed with caution and enjoy ;)

**-New Text Message-**

**To: Hinata Shouyou**

Are you guys here yet?

 

A cold, clammy sweat found its way onto Kageyama’s palms as he waited for Hinata and Yachi to arrive. He had even made sure that he left _after_ nine o’clock so that there was no way he would get there before his friends, and yet they were still nowhere to be found. The ever-growing pit of nerves in his gut begged him: _Just leave! Go home! Spare yourself the nightmare of interacting with people!_

From the sidewalk, he could hear the bass of the music that pounded steadily through the foundation of the house being interrupted every few moments by bursts of unintelligible voices laughing and shouting at each other. Kageyama could tell there were already a lot of people crammed inside the house and it made him feel claustrophobic. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to steady himself. His phone buzzed.

 

**-New Text Message-**

**From: Hinata Shouyou**

Just pulled up!

 

Thank _God_. Kageyama’s heartbeat calmed almost instantly at reading those words, but then sprung back into action when two hands gripped his shoulders from behind and a loud screech filled his ears.

“Ready to party?!” He knew instantly that Hinata had scared him on purpose and for some reason, Kageyama didn’t follow his gut when it told him to be angry about it. Well, the reason was pretty obvious.

When Kageyama twisted around in fear, the initial shock coupled with his lingering anxiety forced him into assuming the worst; like, was he being mugged? Did his attacker have intent to kill? Okay, maybe Kageyama had just seen way too many thriller movies and was paranoid. Either way.

The reason he didn’t get angry when he realized his fear was caused by Hinata was because the moment his eyes met Hinata’s tiny frame, Kageyama forgot almost all basic human functions.

Sure, he’d seen Hinata pretty much every single day of the entire semester so far and, _sure_ , he may or may not have internally theorized which Pantone color perfectly represented Hinata’s eyes (2314 CP with flecks of 1605 XGC, thank you very much) but there was something about seeing the redhead at nighttime like this; something about the way the white fluorescent streetlights made his face glow and how the crisp air gave his cheeks a constant blush… Kageyama’s chill was nowhere to be found.

And don’t even get Kageyama _started_ on the clothes Hinata was wearing.

Kageyama had seen Hinata in normal jeans-and-a-t-shirt outfits every single day prior to this. He had even seen him in a puffy green turtleneck sweater that one time and made fun of him for it but was internally screaming the whole time because _how can he make a fucking_ turtleneck _look good?!_ But, tonight? Tonight, Hinata was wearing a slouchy, soft-looking mint green shirt that dipped across his collarbones and tight denim jeans that had holes in the knees. Kageyama was _weak_.

Yachi skipped up behind Hinata on the sidewalk and slung both her arms around the boys before ushering them toward the front door with an excited giggle.

Inside the house was even wilder than it sounded from outside, but with Hinata and Yachi by his side it didn’t feel quite as daunting as he had expected it would. The trio stepped through the front door and were instantly greeted by a smiling girl with shiny dark hair and a beauty mark by the corner of her mouth. She introduced herself as ‘Shimizu’ and explained that she was the host of the party; Kageyama could tell that she and Yachi were very close by the twinkle in her eyes when the two of them spoke.

After some small talk (that, luckily, Yachi and Hinata took complete responsibility of), they were lead into the kitchen, meeting a few other people along the way.

“The snacks are in here,” Shimizu gestured to the large array of foods displayed along the kitchen countertop, “and drinks are in the garage if you’re interested. Enjoy!” She then quickly excused herself, rushing out into the backyard to investigate a male voice shouting _“let’s start a bonfire, bro!”_ with Yachi trailing after her.

Kageyama huffed a silent nervous breath out through his nose and made his way to the garage while Hinata bounced along behind him, peering over his shoulder as he fished around inside the big, white refrigerator.

“Are you planning on drinking, Kageyama?” Hinata asked, an eyebrow quirked in interest and his voice genuine. Kageyama could tell just from the way the redhead had asked that he wasn’t being teased.

“Eh,” Kageyama shrugged, trying his best to sound nonchalant, “This might be my only real _college party experience_ so I figured I’d try it out, y’know?” He decided on a glass bottle near the back and pulled it out before twisting the cap under the sturdy hem of his jacket. It popped open with a hiss and Hinata’s eyes widened.

“You sure?” Hinata asked as he reached past his friend and grabbed a similar bottle with pink liquid inside. He tried to open it with his shirt like Kageyama had, but couldn’t get a good grip.

“Yeah! I’m fine, don’t worry,” Kageyama smiled at him before grabbing Hinata’s bottle and twisting off the cap for him. Hinata smiled back and nodded before clinking the neck of his bottle against Kageyama’s. They brought both drinks up to their lips and chugged.

___

 

Before this party, if you asked Hinata what his definition of an ‘attractive’ person was, he probably would have said something vague like “someone tall with a nice smile and blue eyes _wait what I didn’t say that you’re crazy.”_ Now, however, Hinata was positive that he had a solid mental image of his _ideal_ attractive person. Maybe it was just the constantly growing amount of alcohol present in his system, but he swore to himself that no other person would ever compare to Kageyama’s level of attractiveness.

He was wearing a _black leather jacket_ , for Christ’s sake.

Hinata had spent longer than he would ever admit on deciding what he wore to the party that night, but he hoped it didn’t look that way. He wanted to give off that whole _“Oh, this old thing? I just threw it on a few minutes before leaving”_ vibe even though in reality he had tried on like nine different shirts before giving up and settling for the green one he wore now.

Kageyama, however, gave off that vibe instantly and even though he should’ve been, Hinata couldn’t bring himself to be jealous. His mind was far too preoccupied with keeping his drool inside his mouth.

Under the leather jacket, Kageyama wore a simple grey V-neck t-shirt and black skinny jeans and could Hinata just say: _dat ass._ And to top the whole life-ruining situation off, Kageyama’s hair was different. When he worked at the store, his hair fell across his forehead and kind of just… sat there. It was nice, don’t get Hinata wrong, but tonight Kageyama’s hair was kind of messy. He kept brushing it back off his forehead and all Hinata wanted to do was run his fingers through it. Would it be as soft as it looked? God, he hoped so.

Hinata and Kageyama stayed in the garage until they had already finished their first bottles and were on to seconds. Then, they walked back inside the house and started making the rounds.

The pair ran into many familiar faces and every time Hinata introduced Kageyama to another new person, he found himself unconsciously wrapping an arm around Kageyama to pull him close. He told himself that it was just because of the close quarters of the party, but he knew that wasn’t true. He was taking any opportunity he could get to be close to Kageyama and if the dark-haired man was opposed to the dwindling space between them, he was an excellent actor because Hinata couldn’t detect any apprehension between them. His fingers tingled and his skin felt hot; he knew he was a bit more drunk than Kageyama already (their height difference probably made Hinata more of a lightweight drinker than Kageyama) but as long as his tall companion was by his side, he knew he’d feel safe.

\---

By the time they had been roped into the group of people playing cheesy party games like Spin-the-Bottle, Kageyama was feeling the alcohol more than he ever had before. His eyelids felt kind of heavy but he also felt weirdly giddy. Either way, he was just thankful that he didn’t seem to be an overly-emotional or angry drunk.

When the tall guy with a lip piercing (who Kageyama thinks Hinata introduced as ‘Nakamura’) pushed them down onto the couch and starting talking about Never Have I Ever, Kageyama was the only person there that didn’t know how to play.

“One person starts the game off saying something like, _‘Never have I ever made out with a duck’_ and if some weirdo here actually _has_ made out with a duck, then they have to take a shot. Got it?” Nakamura was a pretty friendly guy and was also pretty drunk so his words were uncensored as they fell from his mouth. Everyone chuckled at his explanation and nodded in agreement before Hinata spoke up.

“And if someone says ‘Never have I ever _whatever_ ’ and no one has done that thing, the person who asked takes the shot!” The redhead spoke loudly enough that the whole group could hear him, but he was looking straight into Kageyama’s eyes and they both blushed. A few people around the room cheered in agreement and the game began.

A quiet girl with blue hair had the task of asking the first question while Nakamura prepared the shot glasses in a line on a small table and filled them.

“Never have I ever…” She began, brainstorming her options on the spot, “set my hair on fire accidentally.” Everyone in the room erupted into laughter and one single person reached for a shot.

Hinata.

Kageyama laughed even harder and steadied himself by placing a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. Hinata downed a gulp of straight vodka and winced.

“How the hell did you manage that?!” A stray voice from the other side of the room called in Hinata’s direction and he laughed in response before explaining.

“Simple!” Hinata replied with a laugh, “My sister and fireworks are a dangerous combination.”

After more riotous laughter, the crowd died down and continued the game. A few people (who weren’t Hinata or Kageyama, much to their shared relief) took shots for more serious things like getting arrested and cheating on a test. Then, a question Hinata never imagined Kageyama answering for was asked.

“Never have I ever gotten a tattoo in the spur of the moment.” Nakamura asked that one and didn’t seem like he expected anyone to own up to it, so the shock of Kageyama reaching for a shot glass plunged the whole room into silence. An unfiltered _‘uwwwahh?!’_ sound bubbled up from Hinata’s throat and he tugged at Kageyama’s jacket.

“You have a tattoo?!” A voice questioned from across the room.

“Show us, show us!” Hinata chanted and the other partygoers joined in until their shouting echoed throughout the whole house. Kageyama blushed so hard that he thought he could hear it in his ears (or maybe that was just another side effect of the alcohol?) and he stood, full shot glass in hand.

He quickly stripped off his jacket and when he tossed it in Hinata’s face, the redhead scrambled to remove it so he could watch. (He just wanted to see the tattoo, _not_ Kageyama’s toned arms, sheesh. Let a guy live.)

Kageyama decided that more liquid courage was necessary before he could show this group of strangers his tattoo, so he lifted the glass to his lips and slammed it back; the crowd roared around him.

He tapped his shot glass down onto the table and within moments, Kageyama’s t-shirt found the same fate as his jacket (thrown into Hinata’s face). If Hinata’s entire body had _actually_ erupted into flames, no one seemed to notice, but it sure felt like it had. Dear _God_ , Kageyama’s body was a temple.

Kageyama lifted his left arm to show the ink that adorned his ribcage and several people in the room ooed and aahed. The artwork was delicate and ornate; it depicted a large black crow diving downward. The edges of the bird’s wings stretched around and across half of Kageyama’s back and the beak reached all the way down to his hipbone. It was huge. All the struggles Hinata had been having with keeping the drool inside his mouth that night instantly quadrupled.

After the crowd was satisfied, Kageyama put his shirt back on and reclaimed his seat next to Hinata, shyly avoiding eye contact and hoping Hinata wouldn’t notice his blushing cheeks. Hinata definitely noticed.

They each took a couple more shots in response to oddly specific questions like “Never have I ever texted the same person for more than four hours straight” to which they both individually and obliviously knew were referring to Sunshine and Blueberry.

The room eventually grew bored of the game and the pair found themselves sitting out on the front steps of Shimizu’s house for a breath of fresh air when Kageyama finally spoke for the first time since the tattoo incident. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes looked glassy; Hinata knew that if _Kageyama_ looked _that_ drunk, then _he_ must look ridiculous. A muffled voice from inside the house asked what time it was and another voice answered with, _“almost two o’clock!”_

“Damn, it’s late.” Kageyama muttered softly, nudging a small rock with the toe of his shoe, “I should probably head back.”

“I-I’ll… um… I’ll walk you home!” Hinata offered a bit too loudly as he stood, offering Kageyama a hand to pull him up with. Kageyama quirked an eyebrow in Hinata’s direction and motioned toward the house.

“What about Yachi?” There was something hopeful in his eyes that Hinata couldn’t possibly refuse.

“She hasn’t been around for hours.” Hinata replied right away, “She’s probably still hanging out with Shimizu. I’ll just… I’ll come right back and get her to take me home.”

Kageyama nodded slowly and reluctantly as a smile spread across his lips, “Okay, sure.”

\---

The pair somehow made it safely down the road and up the stairs to Kageyama’s door without incident despite the excessive amounts of alcohol still impairing them. On their way, they had drunkenly skipped and stumbled down the sidewalk hand-in-hand, giggling about random tiny details of the party they’d just left.

“I can’t believe you’ve caught your hair on fire!” Kageyama wheezed, slinging an arm over Hinata’s shoulders.

“Technically it was – it was my _sister_ who did it, Bakageyama!” Hinata’s mouth fumbled around the insult and even though the word itself _should’ve_ sounded mean, it came out drenched in affection.

“Sure, sure,” Kageyama egged him on, laughing even harder as they ascended the staircase. If they were sober, they probably would’ve been careful to keep quiet for Kageyama’s neighbors. They were, in fact, the exact opposite of sober.

“Hey, um,” Hinata began, leaning his entire body’s weight on the door of Kageyama’s apartment as the taller man attempted to unlock it, “Do you remember that time… That time I, uh, said your smile was scary?”

Kageyama stared deep into his eyes like they held the answers of the universe and he nodded.

“I was totally lying!” Hinata slapped an open palm against the door and Kageyama thought he heard the redhead mutter a quiet _‘open up, dammit’_ under his breath before continuing to speak, “Oh and your eyes are gorgeous! They make me all… wobbly - OOF!”

On his last word, the door swung open and sent the pair stumbling across the threshold, still giggling about nothing in particular. Hinata leaned his back against the bare apartment wall and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Kageyama was the first thing he saw.

“You… think my eyes are…?” Kageyama’s voice trembled as he watched Hinata’s expression change.

“Gorgeous.” Hinata’s voice came out breathier than he had intended it to, but he also hadn’t originally intended to tell Kageyama exactly how attractive he found him so he just chalked it up to the night being full of surprises and pressed on.

Kageyama’s long, slender fingers hooked into the empty belt loops of Hinata’s jeans and pulled until their hips touched; there was only a hair of space between them. The air exchanged between them was sweltering and Kageyama found himself pulling back hesitantly.

“Kiss me.” Hinata’s voice gasped and Kageyama obeyed. Hinata’s lips were probably the sweetest things he’d ever tasted (even if they still tasted a bit like vodka), and he let out a soft moan as the redhead nibbled on his bottom lip.

Without breaking contact, the pair stumbled through the darkness of Kageyama’s apartment and somewhere in his drunken mind he thanked his sister for going out of town that weekend as they made it to his room. He opened the door and they all but fell inside and tumbled onto his bed; Kageyama hovered above Hinata and drank in the sight laid out in front of him.

Hinata smirked up at him and held a lip between his teeth; his eyes were glossy and shining, pupils blown wide. Kageyama’s heart hammered in his chest and in his thoughts begged the question,  _How is Hinata not hearing this?_

“Come here.” Hinata demanded, wrapping his slender legs around Kageyama’s hips and pulling until their chests touched.

“Hey, listen, you’re dr… I mean, we’re _both_ drunk.” Kageyama wanted nothing more than to just lose control with Hinata right that very second, but he knew that wasn’t the right thing to do.

“Yeah…” Hinata’s reply sounded like a question as he nibbled Kageyama’s earlobe. Kageyama deserved a fucking _award_ for resisting the tiny redheaded vixen below him.

“So… This is probably a bad idea. You’ll regret it in the morning.”

“No, I won’t.” Hinata pulled back and looked Kageyama dead in the eye, determined and serious, and Kageyama gulped. “Will _you_?”

“No, definitely not.”

“Then for the love of all that is holy, _take your pants off_.”

Kageyama squeezed his eyes shut tight, took in a deep, shaky breath and then released it.

“Fuck it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [EDIT: THIS CHAPTER OFFICIALLY HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FANART GO LOOK RIGHT NOW!](http://kageyama-drama.tumblr.com/post/158874945354/i-beat-all-my-previous-personal-bests-by-spending)  
>  whoahowhohoahoahohw i have to tell you guys... this chapter is like _half_ the length it used to be. i trimmed it a lot because DAMN the party was just so fun to write and i got carried away!! lmao
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> ~~OH ! we have options for the next chapter, if you're interested:~~  
>  i'll either do an entire (super smutty) chapter just delving into the details of their sexcapades of the night OR move on to progressing the plot. LET ME KNOW what you'd prefer :)  
> (maybe if it doesn't fit with the flow of the story, i'll just make it a separate one-shot kind of deal. idk.) 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> EDIT: there's now a smutty one-shot that fits between this chapter and the next! check it out [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10345413) if you're into that kind of thing! <3
> 
> thanks for reading, homies!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... i'm sorry.
> 
>  
> 
> (P.S. there's a smutty one-shot that fits between chap 6 and before this one if you're into that kind of thing! check it out [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10345413)!

When Hinata woke up, he saw blue.

The blanket that covered him was dark navy, the rug on the hardwood floor was cerulean; even the walls were painted a color that some might argue was just grey, but Hinata saw a light, muted blue.

The colors hit him first, but then came the _warmth_. It was all around him.

Sun streamed in through the corner window and beams of light stretched across the part of the sheets his feet couldn’t reach. As consciousness enveloped him, Hinata realized that the warmth on his skin was an actual physical presence and his eyes travelled down his own chest to find an extra pair of arms wrapped around his torso. A warm, soft breath puffed at the hair on the back of his neck.

And then the hangover headache made itself known.

Hinata physically held himself back from leaning directly over the edge of the bed and vomiting onto Kageyama’s floor in order to not wake up his bedmate. He clenched his eyes shut and took a deep breath in through his nose and out his mouth to steady his uneasy stomach. To his surprise, it seemed to quell his nausea for the time being and relief washed over him. His dry eyes bored holes into the chalky white ceiling above him.

He didn’t have a clue as to what would happen once Kageyama woke up; would he even remember what happened between them? He knew they were both _extremely_ drunk the night before, but Hinata had told Kageyama that he wouldn’t regret it in the morning and he meant it wholeheartedly. But what about Kageyama?

Anxiety twisted in his gut and he turned ever so slightly to see his friend’s face; Kageyama was sleeping soundly and the soft smile on his lips told Hinata his rest was peaceful.

The redhead couldn’t help but smile while examining his…  _Oh God, what were they now?_ Was Kageyama his boyfriend? Did Kageyama even _want_ to date him? Or was this all just some drunken one-night stand? _Shit_ , the puke-y feeling was coming back.

Although they both had gotten completely hammered drunk, Hinata remembered everything from the night before:

The party (and the questionable number of shots he took there), playing Never Have I Ever, Kageyama’s tattoo, stumbling drunkenly back to the apartment together, Hinata telling Kageyama his eyes were gorgeous (which just _remembering_ now made Hinata cringe), having sex ( _oh God that had actually happened_ and now Hinata’s whole body was burning at ten thousand degrees and he couldn’t stop smiling), and he even remembered Yachi calling like ten times in the middle of their sexcapades to tell him about some drunk guy puking up a goldfish or something? Either way, _he remembered everything._

Kageyama shifted in his spot under the covers and let out a yawn so powerful that he startled himself and Hinata couldn’t help but giggle at the adorable sight. When Kageyama’s tired eyes turned in his direction, the tiny redhead let out a quiet, playful yelp and twisted his body back around so his face was hidden in a pillow. He heard a quiet chuckle echo his own just before the taller man’s weight settled in behind him.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Kageyama’s sleepy voice tumbled out, leaving a warm kiss on Hinata’s bare shoulder. Hinata knew that any other _sane_ person would’ve thought the term of endearment was cute, but considering his _blog_ and _Blueberry_ and just _everything,_ the word only made his restlessness that much more unbearable.

Guilt gnawed away at his insides when he thought about Blueberry; he _really_ liked him, but he had no idea who he was! He couldn’t possibly hold out for some random online relationship that might never happen because he just _happened_ to have intelligent, entertaining, and uncomplicated conversation with a stranger! That would be insane.

Plus, he also really, _really_ liked Kageyama. A lot.

He should tell Blueberry about this, probably. His guilt would make it impossible to continue on like normal with his online friend now that he’d gone and slept with Kageyama. If he and Kageyama started dating, would he have to stop talking to Blueberry? _Probably_. The thought alone made his heart sink to his stomach.

Although, if he and Kageyama _were_ to start dating and he found out that Kageyama had some guy he talked to all the time online he’d definitely be jealous. So it was understandable that he would have to cut ties with Blueberry, right?

_Why couldn’t Blueberry and Kageyama just be the same person?! That would make everything so much less complicated!_

“G-good morning,” Hinata sputtered, trying to keep his cool as Kageyama smiled at him, playing with a tendril of orange hair behind his ear.

“Feeling okay?” Kageyama’s words continued but his eyes fluttered closed and the soft breaths he let out caused his chest to rise and fall steadily against Hinata’s back. The redhead made a negative noise that perfectly explained to his bedmate how legitimately awful he felt and Kageyama nodded.

“Same here,” He said with a dry laugh. His fingertips seemed to move on their own as they dotted the surface of every freckle he could find across Hinata’s left side, “but having you here makes it better.”

Hinata turned around yet again to face the dark-haired man and gave him a genuine smile. He didn’t seem disappointed or worried or even confused… So maybe they were both on the same page? Hinata’s heart warmed at the thought.

“I-I’m glad I’m here… with you.” Hinata stuttered through a shy smile, testing Kageyama with his statement to see (once and for all) where they stood after the events of the previous night.

“I’m glad, too.” Kageyama smiled back and brought a hand to Hinata’s cheek; the pad of his thumb brushed back and forth across the delicate skin and he pulled him in for a kiss. Any worries Hinata felt were totally and completely forgotten; they were _definitely_ on the same page.

Kissing Kageyama when sober was even better than when drunk and here’s why: that pesky alcohol taste was long-gone, Hinata was fairly certain Kageyama had applied chapstick at some point during the night so his lips were extra soft (and a bit minty), and the numbness of the vodka wasn’t there to dull the sensation. Therefore, Hinata was currently in heaven.

His tongue darted out greedily and swiped across Kageyama’s lower lip; Hinata could feel the taller man smile against his mouth before he let out a noise comparable to a _purr_ of approval. The redhead laughed at how out of place but simultaneously perfect the noise sounded coming out of Kageyama ( _was this the true definition of ‘gap moe’??)_ and interrupted their kiss.

When they pulled apart, the look in Kageyama’s eyes was one Hinata hadn’t seen him make before but if he had to explain it to someone, he might describe it as ‘ _smitten’._ He couldn’t see his own face, but he would’ve bet twenty yen that it looked just about the same.

“Where’s your bathroom?” Hinata asked, carefully standing up to search for his boxers from the night before and pulling them on when he found them. Kageyama explained that the bathroom was down the hallway to the left before offering him a spare ( _“it’s brand-new, I promise!”_ ) toothbrush and Hinata left with a smile.

 

Hinata looked like shit.

His reflection in the mirror made him embarrassed to even share a bed with the _somehow-gorgeous-even-when-hungover_ Kageyama. His hair pushed up and down around his scalp like it was trying to flee the country, his eyes were red and tired, and _holy shit_ Kageyama had given him like _eight_ hickies. He probably should have been annoyed that he’d have to make a special effort in covering them for class on Monday, but his heart fluttered in his chest anyway. _Kageyama_ gave _him_ hickies. Yes, you heard right – “hickies” plural. Hinata felt smug as hell.

After splashing cold water on his face and swishing mouthwash around in his cheeks for twice as long as the bottle recommended (his breath smelled awful, okay?), he may or may not have pulled open the shower curtain. He may or may not have also smelled Kageyama’s bottle of body wash and giggled like a school girl. _No regrets._

The occasional footstep or rustle from down the hall told Hinata that Kageyama was up and getting ready for the day, so he made his way back to the bedroom with a skip in his step.

 _Oh!_ He thought to himself, _we didn’t talk about boyfriend-y stuff yet…_

When the thought crossed his mind, Hinata realized.

 _I want Kageyama to be my boyfriend. I want to be his boyfriend. I really,_ really _like Kageyama._

 His small hand gripped the door handle and he pushed his way inside, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh Hinata, good! So I wasn’t sure what your plans for today were but if you’re interested we could –” Kageyama’s words stopped dead in their tracks when he saw Hinata’s expression drop from _happy and carefree_ to _absolute dread_ in a matter of milliseconds, “What’s wrong?”

“You – I, um… What the… _fuck,_ Kageyama…”

Hinata’s eyes could’ve set fire to the wall they focused on and Kageyama traced his line of sight to figure out what was going on. He could have sworn that Hinata was completely fine a mere _five seconds_ ago and now the small redhead was having a visible breakdown. _What the hell just happened?_

“Please… Explain _how_ and _why_ my paintings are on your wall…” Hinata’s voice was shaking; so were his hands.

“Your… paintings…?” Kageyama was completely clueless. A cocktail of rage and terror coursed through Hinata’s entire body as Kageyama stepped closer to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder in an attempt to be reassuring. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t crushed when Hinata flinched and immediately slapped his hand away.

Kageyama’s panicked blue eyes darted back and forth across the bedroom wall but all he saw were printed-out versions of Sunshine’s art (plus the one canvas he’d received from Ono Sensei a few weeks back). Kageyama had saved them off his blog months ago and promised he’d properly pay for them someday but Sunshine just laughed it off and refused. He’d chosen his four favorites of Sunshine’s work and framed them; Sunshine had no idea he displayed them in his bedroom but it was really only for him to appreciate, anyway.

Kageyama had never actually seen any of Hinata’s art, but he was certain that the paintings on his wall were done by Sunshine. Now that he thought about it, he’d actually never seen any of Hinata’s art, but he knew it must be good just from the way Hinata talked about it. He just had a feeling.

 _Wait_.

_Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT._

Kageyama’s hungover mind stumbled through the current situation as Hinata’s hands found his phone and typed furiously. In a matter of moments, Kageyama’s cellphone buzzed from its place on his bedside table and Hinata snatched it up before the taller man could get there.

“Hinata, what the hell – ”

“I can’t fucking _believe_ you!” The redhead held both phones in his trembling, outstretched hands and everything crashed violently into place. Hinata was shaking even harder now and tears streamed down his face as Kageyama leaned in closer and saw everything with his own eyes; both screens showed two sides of the same conversation and at the top of each screen read the names _Sunshine_ and _Blueberry_.

“Wait… holy shit – you’re _Sunshine_?!” Kageyama’s words came out slow and unintelligent as the world seemed to move at half speed around him.

Hinata had somehow already managed to put the rest of his clothes on and was running out of his bedroom, shouting words and names Kageyama never wanted to have directed at himself, _especially_ if they came from Hinata. He sprinted out the bedroom door and his feet stomped down the hallway, almost missing the streak of ginger hair bolting around the corner, “Hinata, please wait!”

Everything went silent.

Hinata’s entire body halted at the front door and his hand gripped the doorknob so tightly that his knuckles were white.

“Don’t act like you didn’t already know, you… You _psycho_! You have my _art_ on your _wall_! And how did you even _find_ my painting from last year?!” Hinata spat out the words like they were laced with poison; his eyes were rimmed red as painful sobs wracked his body. Kageyama moved closer and reached a hand toward him but – remembering the slap he received earlier – pulled it back again.

“Hold on, calm down! I’m just as confused as you are!” He took another step toward the shorter man, “Please believe me.”

“And… after I told you about Natsu and how scary that whole thing was...” Hinata’s voice broke and a cough forced its way up his throat before he continued, “To think that I _finally_ felt comfortable enough to tell you and then… _this shit_. What the fuck, Kageyama... I - I _slept_ with you!”

Kageyama couldn’t help himself from reaching out this time, even though he knew how bad of a decision it was. Everything happening around them just needed to _slow the hell down_.

He should’ve expected the red-hot slap across the face, but it still shook him to his core. It wasn’t necessarily _physically_ painful, but the emotions behind it were earth-shattering. Hinata wrenched the door open and ran as fast as he could down the stairs, onto the sidewalk and out of sight.

Kageyama’s body collapsed into a crouch at the top of the stairs and his face sank into the palms of his hands as a single sob tore past his lips.

Hinata was Sunshine and Kageyama was heartbroken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes.
> 
>  _"Why couldn’t Blueberry and Kageyama just be the same person?! That would make everything so much less complicated!"_ careful what u wish for bby
> 
> (i promise chap 8 will be out in the next day or so. i won't let you suffer through the angst for too long, ily)
> 
> hmu on tumblr - kageyama-drama.tumblr.com


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for some domestic af shimizu and yachi appreciation, homies

Hinata’s lungs burned and begged him to stop running, but his legs didn’t stop moving until his feet crunched in the grass of Shimizu’s yard.

He doubled over and puked.

On one hand, he knew that getting it out of his system would make him feel better, but on the other, he knew that his hangover was no longer the only cause of his nausea. He clenched his eyes shut and held his stomach.

“Holy crap, Hinata! Are you okay?” Yachi’s voice echoed down the driveway and Hinata’s eyes darted up to meet her. He couldn’t bring himself to answer her, so instead he just let his tongue poke out of his mouth with a wince that said, “ _Blegh, I feel awful, please help me.”_  

Yachi’s short blonde hair bounced above her shoulders as she ran into the grass before wrapping a comforting arm across his shoulders. Hinata _knew_ she hadn’t drank anything the night before and _that’s_ why she was so awake and put together, but his cranky, hungover mind rushed straight into being annoyed about it.

Yachi’s perfume smelled like vanilla and pears and any other time Hinata would’ve thought it was pleasant, but in that moment he almost puked again. All his senses and emotions were in overdrive and he just needed… _Hell_ , he didn’t know what he needed. He’d never felt _this_ shitty in his entire life.

“Bring him inside. I’ll make Hangover Breakfast,” Shimizu’s voice spoke from the front door. Yachi nodded dutifully before dragging him up the stairs and through the door.

 

Now that Hinata had a chance to sit and breathe, all his thoughts came crashing back into place; both Yachi and Shimizu could see it in his face. He was already spiraling back into his previous panic, but when Yachi asked _“Where’s Kageyama?”_ that really sealed the deal for him.

Hinata lost track of his breathing almost immediately and his eyes zoned in on the empty bowl in front of him as his lungs heaved. He could still hear Yachi questioning him but her voice sounded far away (or maybe underwater?).

And then ice-cold water splattered across his face and _good morning, Vietnam_ he was wide awake.

Yachi held his (now damp) shoulders under her hands and gave him an apologetic smile. He _wanted_ to be angry at her for how cold and uncomfortable he was, but he couldn’t because if she wasn’t there he’d probably be having a full-blown panic attack by now.

“Do you have any pain killers?” Hinata groaned, his face flopping down onto the cold surface of the kitchen counter. Yachi dug around in her purse and Shimizu rustled through the refrigerator. She poured some liquid into a glass and handed it to him.

“Drink up,” Shimizu smiled at him as Yachi dropped two small pills into his palm, “It’s coconut water – works like a charm.”

Once he had ingested the medicine and Shimizu insisted on making him scrambled eggs, Yachi spoke up again.

“Okay, no more avoiding the subject. Tell us what happened.”

And Hinata did. He explained _everything_ from the very beginning.

He gushed about his blog and the anonymous messages and coming up with the codenames _Sunshine_ and _Blueberry_. He told them about how it was _always_ easy to talk to this mysterious Blueberry guy and how they both loved art and eventually talked almost _all day, every day_. He babbled on about how cute he’d thought it was that Blueberry’s nickname was inspired by the shade of his eyes and how much he’d liked him.

“But you were skeptical because of what happened with Natsu,” Yachi filled in the blanks and Hinata nodded before continuing.

He unnecessarily explained that this whole thing with Kageyama started because Mari just _had_ to go and _have a baby_ or whatever and so Kageyama was hired at the bookstore. He told them both (even though Yachi already knew) that Kageyama was also very interested in art and super fun to talk to and hang out with.

“But here comes the _twist_ about Kageyama,” Hinata gave both girls a stern look to prepare them for the bombshell he was about to drop, but Shimizu spoke up.

“Who is _clearly_ the same person as Blueberry...”

The tone of Shimizu’s voice was matter-of-fact. She hadn’t even looked him in the eye when she said it; almost like it was _common knowledge_ or something. Hinata’s eyes searched her face incredulously but all she did was adjust the glasses perched on her nose.

“Are you _kidding_ me?!” Hinata squawked. His gaze silently begged Yachi for some kind of outrageously confused reaction, but she just stared back at him blankly.

“You’re honestly telling me you didn’t even _suspect_ him? Not even _once_?”

“Why would I?!” Hinata practically screamed into his half-full glass, “What are the chances of something like this happening?!”

Yachi and Shimizu shrugged simultaneously and Hinata puffed out an annoyed breath before continuing on to explain what had happened the previous night (not _every gory detail_ or anything, but enough to get the story across). He told them about how they stayed the night together and how he woke up in the morning and panicked when he saw his own paintings on Kageyama’s wall.

“Hinata, I don’t want to sound too harsh, but _you fucked up_.”

Yachi didn’t curse often, but when she did, she chose her words carefully and used them for maximum emphasis so the statement hit him like a ton of bricks. Hinata would’ve been lying if he said he wasn’t offended, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew she was probably right. Either way, he felt like he needed to defend himself so he opened his mouth to shout back at her and Shimizu cut them both off.

“She’s right,” The dark-haired woman agreed, dropping freshly made scrambled eggs into Hinata’s empty bowl. Hinata gaped back at her as she continued, “Kageyama is basically a stranger to me but I know you, Hinata, so I’m going to be honest: You really like Kageyama and you really like Blueberry, that much is obvious…”

“But he had my paintings! Isn’t that creepy?!” Hinata’s fork clanked in his bowl as he stood, “What if he’s been stalking me?!”

Shimizu’s expression was unchanging as she pulled a chair around from the other end of the table to sit at Hinata’s side. Her eyes met his and then flicked down to the untouched bowl of eggs, wordlessly and maternally ordering him to eat. He grabbed his fork and took a bite.

“How did _he_ explain the paintings?” Shimizu asked the question but the look on Yachi’s face made it very clear that she was dying to ask the same thing.

“I – um… I kind of didn’t let him.” Both women scoffed exaggeratedly and Yachi slapped an open palm against the table before shouting an incredulous, _“WHAT?!”_

“Look, I _panicked_ , okay? I thought – ” A knock on the door interrupted his sentence and all three of them jumped at the unexpected noise. Shimizu left the room with a quick _“Hold on,”_ and Hinata forced himself to take another drink of coconut water.

“It’s Kageyama,” Shimizu peeked her head around the corner and Hinata broke out into a sweat, “I can see him through the window. I’m going to let him in.”

Hinata was well aware of how crazy he could be; he had always been the type of person that let his emotions get away from him. The first time he held a bunny, he cried. Why, you ask? For no other reason than _it was_ _fucking cute, okay?_ (And _no_ , he would never admit to how old he had been when this happened because it was far too recent for his pride to handle.) Countless times, he had done or said things without thinking first and been absolutely mortified afterward.

This moment was no exception.

His feet propelled him out the side door and into the backyard so fast that he didn’t even have time to consider what was happening. He wasn’t running away, he was just… hiding. Okay, that didn’t sound any better than running away.

In that moment, Hinata realized this was probably the first time he had ever faced the repercussions of an overreaction and decided that the best course of action was to _overreact some more._

Hinata was a human disaster.

As he plopped his body down in the grass and leaned up against the side of the house, he realized the window above him was open. He also realized that meant he could hear everything his friends were saying from inside. He got to his knees and peeked over the windowsill; Kageyama sat between Yachi and Shimizu on the couch.

Hinata’s heart sank when he saw how red and puffy Kageyama’s eyes were. _Had he been crying?_ A perfectly timed sniffle answered that question for him.

 

 

“I was really hoping he’d still be here,” Kageyama’s voice croaked out of his throat as Yachi rubbed comforting circles into his back.

“You, _uh_ , you just missed him,” She replied, unable to stop her gaze from drifting out the window.

In the moments that followed, Shimizu offered Kageyama a helping of Hangover Breakfast and he graciously accepted.

Anyone could tell just by the way she took responsibility of her friends (and even _strangers_ like Kageyama) that Shimizu enjoyed being a caretaker. Although the words she spoke were usually blunt and to the point, she only wanted to help and make sure everyone around her was happy.

As she headed into the kitchen, Yachi asked Kageyama for his side of the story and he gave it (making sure to be loud enough that the dark-haired woman in the kitchen could still hear).

He recapped almost exactly the same things Hinata had said and although it was redundant, Yachi nodded along and patted his knee through every detail. Kageyama smiled back at her, thankful to have such a compassionate and dependable person to rely on in his time of need. _Actually_ , make that _two_. Shimizu was awesome and Kageyama wished he could be better friends with her.

“Please, believe me,” Kageyama pleaded, following up the end of his story, “I had no idea he was Sunshine, but I really do like him… Like, _a lot_.”

“I believe you.” Yachi stated almost instantly and giggled when Shimizu shouted _“I believe you too!”_ from the kitchen. Kageyama giggled with her, but it wasn’t entirely genuine. While it felt good to finally share the story with someone and get the weight off his shoulders, _his heart still hurt, dammit._

“Thank you,” He replied, squeezing the hand that still rested on his knee, “But _he_ doesn’t. I swear I’m not a psycho or anything. This was all just… an _insane_ coincidence.”

“Some people call ‘ _coincidence_ s’ like these ‘ _fate_ ,’” Shimizu emerged from the kitchen with yet another bowl and a glass and handed them to Kageyama before sitting on his left side. Just using that word – _fate_ – made Kageyama’s stomach flutter nervously. He wasn’t even sure he believed in that kind of thing.

“Exactly! I’ve watched you two tiptoe around each other and flirt and make each other so _freaking happy_ over this last semester that I’ll be damned if overreactions and miscommunications screw that up!” Yachi exclaimed with determination in her eyes.

 

 

Hinata saw Yachi lean in and whisper into Kageyama’s ear but as hard as he strained, he couldn’t hear what she said. Kageyama was quiet afterward, too.

 _Why am I such a coward?_ Hinata scolded himself, _I should’ve just ran inside and talked to him!_

It was far too late, now. Kageyama had finished his food, thanked the two girls inside, and exited through the front door. Hinata’s chance was gone. He was the _worst_.

He sunk down into the grass with a sigh and pressed a cheek up against the cold siding of Shimizu’s house. He had no idea what he was going to do. Kageyama’s story completely matched up with his; Hinata _knew_ he’d hurt Kageyama that morning and it was killing him. How could he possibly come back from that?

Kageyama seemed so… broken. So quiet. He may not have been as loud of a person as Hinata, but seeing him like this still felt disturbingly out of character.

After seeing his friend’s reaction and hearing his genuine thoughts, Hinata knew for certain that Kageyama wasn’t a lunatic _or_ a stalker. He was _Blueberry._ The man he’d known and liked and pined over for so long was _equal parts_ Kageyama _and_ Blueberry.

And that was _exactly_ what Hinata had wished for so many times before.

Newfound adrenaline rushed through Hinata’s veins and forced him to stand before sprinting across the yard toward the gate; he was going back to Kageyama’s apartment and fixing this. _Right now._

His hand desperately reached out for the handle but before it made contact, the door swung open and _there he was_. Kageyama opened the gate and stared back at him with fierce determination in his blueberry eyes.

Before Hinata could get out any of the words he had planned on rehearsing during his run back to the apartment, Kageyama gripped Hinata’s hands in his own.

“Please, let me explain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hangover Breakfast (eggs - preferrably scrambled - and coconut water) is a very real thing that works wonders please try it i promise you won't regret it
> 
> P.S. sorry for the cliffhanger but i'll update again soon ily
> 
> scream at/with me on tumblr ---> kageyama-drama.tumblr.com


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before we get started i wanted to thank all the lovely people who are still reading this fic and enjoying it so much!! all you lovelies who stop by my tumblr and share your thoughts with me about this fic seriously make my day every single time!! ily all sm! <3 :)

“Please, let me explain.”

The words were desperate and breathless as they left Kageyama’s lips and Hinata couldn’t bring himself to look away from the concern that perched between Kageyama’s eyebrows. He must’ve ran around the side of the house to get to the back gate; maybe Yachi told him Hinata was there and _that_ was what she’d whispered in his ear earlier?

Any other day, Hinata would’ve felt betrayed that she gave away his hiding place, but the urge didn’t even have time to cross his mind before Kageyama’s strong hands enveloped his.

They were warm and slightly sweaty with anxiety but Hinata didn’t mind; it was like his entire state of mind had turned a hundred and eighty degrees since the complete terror of that morning.

Now, just the feeling of Kageyama’s skin on his calmed him down instantly even though a mere two hours earlier he’d slapped the touch away in fear.

Now, he knew how wrong he’d been before and how much he'd hurt his friend.

Now, he needed Kageyama’s touch more than ever.

“That’s unnecessary.” Hinata’s words came out softly and unsteadily and Kageyama’s eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

“Are you kiddi – just _listen_ ,” Kageyama stuttered before sucking in a deep, irritated breath, “I finally got the chance to show you how I feel last night... And now – ” his voice cracked and he coughed to clear his throat, “Now, – _less than a day later_ – I feel like I’ve lost my best friend and _the fucking love of my life_ at the same time.”

 “Kageyama – ” Hinata’s heart fluttered at the words he heard. _The love of his life?_

They hadn’t even known each other that long, but the more he thought about it the more it really did feel like a lifetime. The countless hours spent in the bookstore bickering (about nerdy art stuff like _who painted the second Mona Lisa?_ and _who was at fault for the fallout of Van Gogh and Gauguin’s friendship?_ ) and messaging each other anonymously online (even if they didn’t realize it) were the highlight of Hinata’s whole year.

In passing, he’d always heard Natsu, his parents, or friends say things like _“Wow, it’s only been ___? It feels like a lifetime!”_ and he’d never been able to relate, until now.

It was a strangely comforting feeling to be so completely taken by someone that it felt like your life didn’t really start until they came along.

“I deserve the chance to explain!”

“You don’t need to explain because I was listening through the window!”

The frustrated red blush that inhabited Kageyama’s cheeks drained just as fast as it had arrived and his hands dropped to his sides from their place around Hinata’s. He took another breath and exhaled a quiet “ _Oh_.”

“I’m a dumbass and I completely overreacted,” Hinata desperately reached for Kageyama’s hands again, feeling empty and cold without them, “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m so, _so_ sorry.”

The dark-haired man in front of him was frozen in shock. It must’ve been embarrassment that made it so hard to return Hinata’s gaze because Kageyama couldn’t stop his eyes from floating downward until they landed on a rock in the grass. He pushed it with the toe of his shoe and felt cold déjà vu wash over him.

“… I really had _no idea_ you were sunshine.”

“I know that now… Hey, please look at me,” Hinata pleaded, tucking a small hand under Kageyama’s chin and tipping it up so he could see. Kageyama’s eyes were all watery again and Hinata’s words choked in his throat with the force of a punch in the gut.

Seeing Kageyama make that face, Hinata’s heart must’ve broken for the hundredth time that morning. He never wanted to be the cause of that sad expression ever again, so he made a pact with himself right then and there: He’d do whatever he could to make it go away and never come back _._

_If Kageyama let him._

“I have no idea where you want to go from here, but I’ve honestly wished you and Blueberry were the same person so many times… And now you actually _are_. I… can’t imagine _not_ having you in my life.”

Kageyama looked back at him through a pout so adorable that Hinata almost burst out laughing. He decided on silently smiling instead and brought a hand up to the back of Kageyama’s neck, pulling him closer until their lips were close enough to exchange heat, but far enough that he could count Kageyama’s eyelashes if he wanted to (and he _definitely_ wanted to).

The blueberry hue of Kageyama’s eyes shimmered from underneath those long lashes and Hinata made a mental note to count them later.

“I really, _really_ like you, Kageyama.”

Kageyama’s eyes darted to Hinata’s lips and he smirked before adding, “Can you _please_  just _kiss_ me already so we can pretend we haven’t spent this entire, shitty hangover crying and either _getting_ or _receiving_ slaps to the face?”

“Ohmygod, I’m so sorry about that!” Hinata pulled back violently as he yelped in mortification at the memory. Kageyama let out a warm laugh and wrapped both arms around the redhead before yanking him back into place. That place, right there – the warm cocoon of Kageyama’s arms – was where Hinata was always meant to be. He could feel it in his bones.

“I’ll forgive you if you admit _once and for all_ that you believe I’m not a psycho stalker who only wanted to get you drunk and have sex with you,” Kageyama chuckled, brushing a thumb across Hinata’s bottom lip, “Because that is a _wild_ misinterpretation of my feelings for you.”

“Deal.” Hinata giggled and greedily dove in.

Although they’d kissed quite a few times in the last twenty-four hours, none of those kisses could even _compare_ to this one.

Kageyama’s arms squeezed tightly around his waist and Hinata’s fingers threaded through the silky hair at the base of Kageyama’s neck; it was nothing short of heavenly.

When Hinata’s back met the side of Shimizu’s house, he had no idea how or when they’d walked the distance ( _man, they_ had _to have been at least ten yards away from the house before!)_ to get there, but the hazy pink throbbing of adrenaline in his heart told him not to worry about it.

Kageyama’s lips were impossibly soft as they brushed against Hinata’s; it felt like they were spelling out exactly how Kageyama felt in some crazy lip-choreography that Hinata didn’t know yet but was officially determined to learn. _He’d practice as long as it took, dammit._

They didn’t care that the kiss tasted like Hangover Breakfast. They didn’t care about the chill in the air or the fact that they’d both forgotten their jackets in Kageyama’s apartment. They didn’t care about anything other than _that kiss,_ in _that moment_ , because they were _together_ and _kissing_ and there were no more secrets or miscommunications.

Hinata pulled back from the kiss and smiled up at Kageyama sweetly; he was certain there were visible hearts in his eyes. Kageyama returned the toothy grin with one of his own but made it very clear that he wouldn’t release his grip on Hinata’s body and the redhead was one-hundred percent okay with that.

“Did you leave anything inside Shimizu’s house?” Kageyama’s face dipped down until his words tickled the shell of Hinata’s ear and sent a shiver down his spine.

“N-no,” the redhead replied shakily from kiss-swollen lips.

“Good.”

Kageyama let the word hang in the air for a few confused moments before scooping Hinata up in his arms and heaving the smaller man’s body over his shoulder. Hinata let out a giggly squeal and Kageyama ran out the gate, down the sidewalk, up the stairs, and back into his apartment.

_Best. Hangover. Ever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one was kinda short, but i wanted the makeup scene to be its own chapter.  
> hope that doesn't bother anyone lol!
> 
>  
> 
> hmu on tumblr ---> kageyama-drama.tumblr.com


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATEEE: [ART ART ART THERE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL ART <333](http://kageyama-drama.tumblr.com/post/159080703339/that-lovely-moment-from-chapter-10-of-this-fic-you)
> 
> yo this chapter is super fluffy so i hope u don't get cavities - good luck
> 
> (also after the "~" the story skips in time a bit. i really hope that comes across lmao)
> 
> HUUUGE shoutout to my girl [buzzichan](https://buzzichan.tumblr.com/) for being the coolest and not only drawing [beautiful art for chapter 6,](http://kageyama-drama.tumblr.com/post/158896088929/kageyama-drama-buzzichan-i-beat-all-my) but for being my long-lost twin and so much fun to chat about kagehina with <3

Kageyama and Yachi were perched in their usual places at the front desk when Hinata walked in clutching an assortment of bottles and brushes in his hands. It had been less than two days since the Hangover Incident (which they now lovingly called it), but it felt like so much longer.

“Good morning, you beautiful weirdos!”

The bookstore felt different now. Hinata saw both of his friends sleepily sipping their morning caffeine and couldn’t help but feel like the world around him was brighter; more colorful, even. Seeing the desk he’d sat on so many times before felt weirdly foreign but equally nostalgic - like he could see his past-self sitting there, pining over Kageyama and simultaneously texting him without knowing it. It was bizarre. He impatiently dumped his supplies on the counter before rushing to Kageyama’s side.

Hinata had just seen his dark-haired friend the previous morning, but if you were as smitten as they both were, a couple hours apart could easily feel like years. Kageyama somehow knew exactly what Hinata wanted and stood up before wrapping strong arms around Hinata’s body and squeezing him with a wordless _hello_.

The redhead nuzzled his face into the warm fabric of Kageyama’s sweater and giggled happily, completely forgetting Yachi was in the room until she cleared her throat exaggeratedly. They jumped apart, realizing they hadn’t yet told their blonde friend about the events in Shimizu’s yard and how they made up (and then made out, _hey-oh_ ).

Hinata stammered to form an explanation but Yachi cut him off with a hearty laugh.

“Don’t worry, lovebirds,” she giggled into the lid of her coffee before winking at the pair cheekily, “Shimizu and I listened to the entire romantic makeup scene through the window on Saturday, so I’m all caught up on current events.”

Even though Yachi was Hinata’s closest friend apart from Kageyama, finding out that she was listening while both men unknowingly spilled out their mushy feelings for each other made Hinata blush hotly. His eyes darted to meet Kageyama’s and he was glad to see that he wasn’t alone in his mortification.

“Uh, well, _that’s_ embarrassing…” Kageyama stuttered out, moving a self-conscious half step away from the redhead beside him.

“Seriously, don’t be embarrassed! I’ve been rooting for this relationship since pretty much day _one_ and I’m so glad you’re finally dating!”

Both men hadn’t necessarily been _physically_ moving before that, but they both froze in place at her statement so abruptly that Yachi instantly knew something was up. A matching blush spread up their necks and painted the skin of their faces as they struggled to ignore eye contact with not only Yachi but also each other.

Here’s the thing: They hadn’t actually gotten to the whole _“let’s be boyfriends”_ thing yet. They were both just so freaking _happy_ after clearing up their misunderstandings that they ran back to Kageyama’s house, cuddled up under his blankets, and slept off the rest of that horrible hangover together.

When Hinata woke up for the second time that day, he was met with Kageyama holding two bowls of miso soup (explaining that he texted Shimizu for more “hangover food” ideas) and greeting him with a _“Good morning, Sunshine”_ so sweet that it made him forget every single ounce of the guilt he felt earlier that day.

He was so relieved that their makeup wasn’t a dream that he demanded Kageyama set the bowls down so he could cover his entire face in kisses. By the time they got back to their soup, it was cold but they couldn’t have cared less.

Needless to say, the two of them were so deliriously happy and distracted that they hadn’t even thought about asking each other out officially. After everything they’d already been through, it almost seemed like they were past that point, anyway.

Yachi noticed the panicked looks on their faces and connected the dots immediately.

“Oh my god, are you _seriously_ telling me you haven’t asked yet?” The blonde jumped down from her spot on the counter and stomped into the coffee shop, “Fix this, guys! Fix it _right now_! I’m going on break!” She pushed her way out the back exit of the store and silence enveloped the room.

“So, um…” Hinata began, awkwardly balling his fists in the front pocket of his hoodie. Kageyama reached his larger hands inside and covered Hinata’s with his own before the redhead looked up and met his eyes with a blush and a smile.

“I know we’ve already said this stuff, but I’m going to say it again,” Kageyama started after clearing his voice, “I really like you, Hinata.”

“I-I like you too, Kageyama.”

The air between them was warm and tingly as they shuffled through their thoughts.

“Please be my boyfriend.”

“Will you be my boyfriend, Kageyama?!”

Both proposals were shouted and spoken at the same time and when they both realized it, they burst out laughing. They laughed even harder when their giggled replies of _“yes!”_ and _“of course!”_ interrupted each other for a second time.

Hinata clutched the side of the desk to steady himself as hysterical laugher peeled from his lips. It wasn’t that the situation itself was the funniest thing he’d ever witnessed, but laughing like this really helped to release the leftover tension and anxiety in the room.

“Oi,” Kageyama’s voice was soft and low before he tipped his new boyfriend’s chin up and touched their lips together. Any sign of laughter disappeared instantly as Hinata tasted the sweetness of Kageyama’s lips for the first time in over a day. Being away from (and thus unable to kiss) Kageyama for even just twenty-four hours was a type of torture Hinata had never felt before; he wouldn’t wish a similar feeling on even his worst enemy.

As their lips brushed, Kageyama wrapped both arms around his boyfriend’s back and held him so protectively that anyone else would’ve thought the world was ending around them. Hinata hummed happily against Kageyama’s mouth and could feel the taller man’s lips smile back in reply.

 

~

 

Kageyama winced involuntarily as cold paint spread in a thin line from his left shoulder to the right; he couldn’t see which color Hinata was using or feel what shape the brush dragged across his skin, but the coldness quickly turned into tickly-ness and he fought back the urge to squirm. He wasn’t even sure if the redhead had a composition planned for this particular piece, but he realized rather quickly that he didn’t care. Even if it was just for that afternoon, Kageyama was Hinata’s canvas.

His breathing heated the pillow his face pressed into and his eyes drooped lazily until they closed. The temperature of the next brushstroke seemed less abrasive and Kageyama sighed in relief, wondering whether Hinata had somehow managed to warm up the paint.

“Better?” The little redhead asked with a quick squeeze to his boyfriend’s upper arm. Kageyama hummed happily in response.

By the way his words were enunciated, Kageyama could tell that the tip of Hinata’s tongue was peeking out from between the corner of his lips – something that happened often when he concentrated really hard; it was equal parts fascinating and adorable.

Kageyama knew most things when it came to the _technical_ side of art – he knew how to properly frame a composition, how to mix paint, even how to sculpt – but _knowing_ and _doing_ were two entirely different things. Watching Hinata create art was enthralling and over the last few months of dating (and when he wasn’t face down on a mattress with paint smeared all over his back), Kageyama watched the redhead’s techniques like a hawk. He was determined to understand what exactly it was that caused Hinata’s art to come out the way it did; the thing that amazed him, however, was that it didn’t seem like Hinata really had to _try_ at all.

When he painted, Hinata gave off an unintentional air of “ _I’m creating something so beautiful that you wouldn’t mind hanging it on your wall? Oh, sorry, I hadn’t noticed!”_

“What goes through your mind while you draw?” Kageyama couldn’t hold back the question any longer. He’d watched Hinata sketch for quite a while before the redhead convinced him to be a living canvas and the question threatened to jump from his mouth the entire time.

“Uh,” Hinata replied monotonously, clearly still focusing most of his attention on the paint he dotted up Kageyama’s spine, “Not much, I guess? Just now I was thinking about orange juice..."

Kageyama laughed heavily enough to earn a playful slap on the arm and when Hinata’s hand made contact, Kageyama held it before he could pull away. The soft skin of Kageyama’s fingers wrapped around Hinata’s smaller ones and tugged until he was on the mattress beside the dark-haired man; he pressed a sloppy kiss to Kageyama’s bare (and still unpainted) shoulder.

The silence exchanged between them was companionable and comfortable as the curtains billowed and outlined the sunset past the window frame. A lot of the time they spent together since they started dating consisted of Hinata drawing/painting/ _whatever_ and Kageyama watching intently. It calmed them both and they loved every second of it.

Hinata smiled and Kageyama smiled back before pecking a tiny kiss on the tip of the redhead’s nose.

“May I _please_ continue painting, now?” Hinata whined through a tiny smile.

Kageyama knew that his boyfriend’s motivation was ever-changing and hard to grasp. Some days, Hinata couldn’t be bothered to sketch a single line on notebook paper and others he’d be suddenly struck with inspiration so powerful that he’d sit down and paint for six hours without stopping.

So when he burst through Kageyama’s door clutching assorted bottles of body paint, Kageyama had no idea what to expect but was fully prepared to be as supportive as he possibly could be.

Hinata made sure to use up every single inch of space on Kageyama’s back and also every color of paint he brought with him before he finished. When he finally flopped back down next to Kageyama on the bed, he spread out on his stomach to mirror him and let out a tired _“All done!”_

Although Kageyama was restless to get up and look at his new body art in the mirror, Hinata insisted on waiting so it could fully dry. His tall boyfriend reluctantly agreed and pressed his face back into the pillow with an impatient grumble. They sat in silence for a couple minutes before Kageyama spoke again.

“What made you want to paint on my back, anyway?” Kageyama’s voice was muffled as it filtered through the fabric.

“I saw some photos of people doing it online,” Hinata poked his pinkie finger into a blob of paint to see if it was dry. It was, so he motioned for Kageyama to follow him toward the floor-length mirror at the end of the hall, “And I know it sounds cheesy, but the moment I saw it, I thought of you.”

“Why?” Kageyama’s bare feet pattered across the cold flooring until they reached their destination. Hinata placed a soft hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder and smiled, pleased with the work that Kageyama was yet to see.

“’Cuz,” Hinata murmured past bashful, pouted lips and awkwardly picked at some dried paint on his thumb, “You’re kind of – _ah_ – this is gonna sound _so_ cheesy...”

Kageyama had yet to turn and see the art on his back; he was too busy trying to decipher the look on Hinata’s face. His expression was a mix between shyness and embarrassment and something else Kageyama couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Since I met you, I’ve changed a little. I think that’s because of you. You’ve changed the way I look at _art_ , the way I look at the _world_. And it’s gonna sound crazy, but when I found out you had a tattoo, I was a bit jealous because some other artist’s ink had been injected into your skin. Does that make sense?”

“Not really, no.” Kageyama chuckled, grasping one of Hinata’s hands in his own. Hinata laughed quietly along before continuing.

“All I’m saying is, even though this paint is washable, I wanted to be able to make a mark on you like you have on me,” He cleared his throat awkwardly and gripped Kageyama’s shoulder tighter before turning him so he could see his back. “Alright, enough of the mushy junk. Here’s how it turned out.”

The colors that swirled above Kageyama’s skin were deep and breathtaking. Even though he couldn’t see it all perfectly or in very close-detail, he loved it right away. (Honestly, he knew before Hinata even started painting that he would love it. He loved absolutely anything Hinata created, but that was old news.)

Rich reds and deep blues spread across his back and even though Hinata had intended the piece to be abstract, Kageyama saw a galaxy filled with stars. Muted flecks of white cascaded and contrasted against the rainbow of beautifully blended colors and he couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering across it over and over again. A small puff of air left his lips and he made no visible effort to speak; he just kept staring in awe.

“J-just tell me if you like it already, Kageyama!” Hinata’s voice was anxious and Kageyama had never wanted to worry him; he wrapped the smaller man in his arms and hugged him to cover the fact that he was still speechless. When words finally came to him, they were simple but got the job done all the same.

“I-I love it, Hinata! And… I- ” Kageyama tripped over his words, feeling like he wasn’t entirely in control of them as they came out, “I love _you_.” He _definitely_ hadn’t woken up that morning with plans to confess _that_.

When his words filled the air, Kageyama slapped a hand over his mouth in panic. He’d never told anyone other than his family that he’d loved them before. _Was it too soon?_ Three months was probably _way_ too soon. _Great_ , now he’d really done it.

Hinata’s eyebrows were almost nonexistent from shooting up so high up on his forehead, but the dopey smile that accompanied them told Kageyama that maybe he hadn’t _completely_ ruined everything.

“I love you too, Kageyama! I've seriously almost said it _so many times_ recently – I’m so glad you feel the same way, it’s been driving me crazy!”

Kageyama beamed at the redhead in front of him; he hadn’t given Hinata enough credit. Any other time something like this had come up, they both had mysteriously (and miraculously) been on the exact same page the whole time. In each other’s arms and between excited kisses, Hinata squealed and Kageyama laughed and everything was perfect.

_Kageyama was Blueberry, Hinata was Sunshine, and they were in love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATEEE: [ART ART ART THERE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL ART <333](http://kageyama-drama.tumblr.com/post/159080703339/that-lovely-moment-from-chapter-10-of-this-fic-you)
> 
> this story is probably ending soon, my dudes :( i'm thinking maybe 1 or 2 more chapters. thanks so much for being here and reading this mess! i'm so glad you've all enjoyed it! <3
> 
> hmu on tumblr! kageyama-drama.tumblr.com


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi hi!  
> yet another fluffy chapter but we're jumping a bit in time yet again my dudes!  
> i hope you enjoy it! :) <3

Hinata had felt many kinds of pain in his life; physical, emotional, you name it.

Each sensation was unique and colorful and left an invisible mark (or sometimes visible, if the injury scarred) so profound that if he ever felt it again, he would instantly remember the first time. It was kind of like coming home after a long vacation and realizing your house has a very distinct smell to it but you never noticed before because it filled your nostrils every other day of your life so far.

Crashing his bike in the bookstore parking lot was a sharp and embarrassing viridian blue.

Finding out his grandfather had passed away when he was fifteen was a cold, terrifying, and nauseating shade of sage.

Receiving the news that he failed a class in freshman year was a mustard yellow “hurt-pride” kind of pain, stubbing his little toe on _that same edge_ of his bed almost every single night was a frustrating maroon hue. The list went on and on.

And now, Hinata was able to add a new sensation to his list of unique discomforts.

Getting a tattoo was a tremulous and fiery scarlet; It felt like Hinata had just come back from the beach with a fresh sunburn only for an angry cat to jump on him and scratch his skin to shreds. _And to top it all off_ , instead of pushing the cat away he gave it two hundred dollars, rubbed its belly and basically said _“Alright Muffin, just fuck me up.”_

Kageyama couldn’t hold back the nervous giggle that erupted from his lips as he watched Hinata under the tattoo gun. His face looked equal parts terrified and regretful.

“I _told_ you it would hurt,” Kageyama ran a loving hand through Hinata’s ginger locks, trying to keep his tone soothing even if he was technically saying “ _I told you so”_. Hinata stuck out his tongue at his boyfriend before involuntarily squeezing his eyes shut again as the tiny needles passed over an overworked patch of skin.

Over their last year together, Hinata had become obsessed with tattoos. His Pinterest was filled with designs and ideas and whenever Kageyama’s shirt was off, the little redhead was there in an instant to inspect every detail and line of the ink.

Sure, he’d liked the idea of tattoos before Kageyama was a part of his life, but he never imagined himself getting one. He saw some of his classmates with full sleeves of ink and even Natsu had a delicate peony flower etched into the top of her left foot; Hinata loved the idea of displaying artwork on your body for the whole world to see and he admired anyone that could decide on what they wanted and where they wanted to put it. He, unfortunately, had never been one of those people.

Hinata was the type of person that went through phases; his attention span was so short and he was generally so indecisive that if he considered a piece of art for too long, he’d end up hating it by the end of the month. Taking all of that into consideration, he’d pretty much accepted the fact that he’d never get a tattoo. Until Kageyama came along, that is.

After dating Kageyama for just a few months, Hinata knew he wanted to be with Kageyama for the rest of his life. _Now listen_ : he knew how crazy that sounded, but just hear him out.

Kageyama was everything Hinata had ever wanted and everything he never knew he needed ( _and boy, did he ever need him_ ).

While Hinata was loud and energetic and filled with overwhelming amounts of air that only seemed to escape from him in full-volume shrieks, Kageyama was the complete opposite. He was naturally quiet and calm and their personalities complemented each other so well it was honestly kind of scary.

Hinata could so easily get stressed out and his emotions never stayed in one place for long, but Kageyama was an amazing listener and always offered a hug along with words of (surprisingly insightful and helpful) advice.

Their love was just so _easy_.

The buzz of the tattoo gun rang in Hinata’s ears – loudly at first, but dipping down to a dull hum as his mind wandered away from the pain in his arm and toward a memory.

 

 _“Would you ever get another tattoo, Kageyama?”_ Hinata had asked his boyfriend from across the small dinner table in his apartment. He picked a long noodle up out of his bowl and slurped it loudly into his mouth.

“ _Maybe_ ,” Kageyama replied with a shrug before closing his worn art history textbook, _“I mean, I don’t really have any other artwork in mind yet but –”_

_“What if I designed something and we got one, like, together?”_

Kageyama’s initial reaction to the question was disbelief; he’d explained to Hinata many times how painful it could be to get a tattoo and every single time he’d seen the apprehension in his eyes. He knew Hinata’s pain tolerance wasn’t very high and he was secretly convinced that – even though the redhead desperately wanted to – he’d never actually go through with it. But, Hinata always seemed to prove Kageyama wrong and he _always_ kept him on his toes, so he really should’ve seen this coming.

What Kageyama had never admitted to Hinata (or anyone else for that matter) was that the bird-shaped ink adorning his ribcage and back had actually been inspired by Hinata in the first place.

Before he had even worked up the courage to anonymously message his online artistic idol, he discovered Hinata’s work and fell in love. The style was always so unique – he’d never seen anything like it before. The lines Hinata used were so intentional and bold, yet delicate and ornate at the same time and Kageyama found himself imitation-doodling in the margin of any paper he could find. Of course, he was never satisfied with his _own_ end-result, but it made him smile to think of Sunshine’s art nonetheless.

When his sister asked him to accompany her to a tattoo parlor one random Saturday night, he agreed with absolutely _no intention_ of getting any work done on himself. But when the tattoo artist insisted that the shop was holding a “two-for-one special” and Kageyama’s sister looked at him with her infamous puppy-dog eyes, he couldn’t possibly refuse. He’d never been _against_ tattoos, for the record, he just probably never would’ve gone out on his own to get one.

So, when searching for an ideal piece of art to inject into his skin, Kageyama’s mind went straight to Sunshine’s work. He pulled up an image on his phone, told the artist to attempt that style, and sat down on the cold metal parlor chair.

He hadn’t given the poor guy much else to go on except an abstract image of Hinata’s artwork, so when Kageyama’s sister suggested a large bird shape to go along with the “Tobi” part of his name that literally meant “to fly,” all three of them agreed and before he knew it, the deed had been done.

Kageyama’s mind drifted around hazily and he smiled; that time Hinata painted designs across his back and confessed that he was jealous of another artist’s work on his skin, it was pretty much _his work_ from the very beginning.

 _“I’d love that, Shouyou,”_ Kageyama murmured, not realizing his heart-filled eyes were boring holes into his boyfriend. He also didn’t realize how abruptly Hinata had reacted to his words until the clanging of his spoon jolted the taller man out of his thoughts with a jump.

 _“Y-you, uh, you just called me…”_ Hinata stuttered from behind a bright red blush and a pointed finger while Kageyama’s mind tried to retrace what just happened. Ohhh. _Oh no._

The pair hadn’t yet transitioned into that period of their relationship where they used each other’s given names so casually; they hadn’t really talked about it much, either. When the topic came up in the past, they both had blushed profusely and wrote it off as something that would happen in its own time. For Kageyama personally, using given names was very serious and intimate and just the thought of Hinata using _his_ sent chills up his spine.

 _“Oh, s-sorry! It just kind of slipped out and –”_ In a flash, Hinata was up from his seat at the table and into Kageyama’s lap, wrapping slender arms around his boyfriend’s neck.

 _“Say it again, please?”_ The small redhead’s eyes glistened adorably and Kageyama was fairly certain he would’ve melted through the floor if his chair wasn’t holding them both in place.

_“Sh-Shouyou…”_

The blinding smile that broke out on Hinata’s face was so dazzling that Kageyama _really_ regretted not having a camera nearby. He couldn’t stop his face from joining in on the happiness either, so he silently replied with a toothy grin of his own. Hinata giggled excitedly before leaning in toward Kageyama’s ear.

_“I love you so much, Tobio.”_

_~_

 

So, there they were: six months later (and a year into their relationship) in a tattoo parlor, getting matching tattoos.

 

To celebrate their anniversary a night early, Shimizu hosted a party (where they made _absolutely certain_ to limit how much alcohol they drank) and after spending the night at Kageyama’s apartment, they made their way back to her house for Hangover Breakfast. Although they weren’t actually hungover this time, it was equal parts _the tradition_ of it all and the delicious smell of eggs and pancakes that brought them through the front door.

“Happy Anniversary!” Shimizu called from her station at the stove. She flicked a lock of dark hair out of her eyes as the couple smiled back sleepily, settling in at the kitchen table. Before they had the chance to thank her properly, Yachi came clambering down the stairs and into the room, planting a happy kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek.

As it turned out, the two couples now shared an anniversary date. Although Yachi and Shimizu hadn’t told them right away, a month or so later they announced that they were officially dating. When Hinata excitedly pried for further details, Yachi bashfully admitted that after overhearing he and Kageyama’s makeup in Shimizu’s backyard, the girls were inspired.

Kageyama ran down the sidewalk with Hinata’s small body draped across his shoulder and in the midst of their faded giggles, Yachi turned to Shimizu and blurted out _everything_. Years of pining and uncertainty and doubt spilled from her lips and to her surprise, Shimizu didn’t even let her finish before grabbing both sides of her face and covering it in kisses.

“Happy Anniversary to you, too!” Hinata called as the small blonde hopped over to her friends and wrapped her arms around them, squeezing the pair in a genuine hug.

She pulled back and plopped down in a kitchen chair just as Shimizu sat a steaming mug of homemade coffee down in front of her. She smiled widely in appreciation and took a gulp before asking, “When’s the appointment?”

“Right after breakfast!” Hinata shouted a bit too loudly, fiddling with Kageyama’s hand that rested in his own.

Even though he made sure to smile, Kageyama could tell instantly that Hinata was nervous. The small redhead insisted time and time again that he wouldn’t chicken out and that the fear he felt had nothing to do with the commitment of getting a tattoo with Kageyama, and Kageyama believed him wholeheartedly. The taller man knew Hinata was only scared because of the pain.

 

~

 

The relief of finally standing up out of the parlor chair was unlike any other Hinata had ever felt and Kageyama sat down right after him before taking the inky torture like an absolute champion. (Hinata may or may not have hoped that the pain would overwhelm his boyfriend just as much as it had for him. That way, he wouldn't look so silly for reacting the way he had... Unfortunately, Kageyama was some sort of mystical immortal being that didn't feel pain.)

After another hour of buzzing and awkward chit-chat with the tattooists and piercing artists in the shop, they were finally done. With the sleeves of their shirts rolled up high, Kageyama and Hinata walked out the front door with dopey smiles on their faces (they looked so happy that you'd never imagine they just spent a couple hours with needles stabbing into their arms). 

The tattoos looked technically _complete_ on their own but flowed together perfectly when side by side, and if that wasn’t a perfect metaphor for their relationship, the pair didn’t know what was.

Hinata designed it so that the piece could be split down the middle and positioned on the backs of their arms (Hinata’s was closer to his shoulder while Kageyama’s was on the lower part of his bicep) to account for their height difference. When they were side-by-side, the art spread seamlessly from Kageyama’s skin onto Hinata’s and it was exactly what they’d both been hoping for. To contrast Kageyama's first tattoo, this one was filled with color and was impossible to glance at just once.

Every single time he looked in the mirror, Hinata did a double-take and grinned from ear-to-ear; he was so _so_ glad that he'd gone through with it. 

Just as they completed each other in every other way, they now could _look the part_ and even through the countless days of stinging and itching that followed their tattoo session, they both couldn’t think of a single reason to regret it.

Although he hadn’t yet, someday Kageyama would tell his boyfriend that _both_ pieces of the art on his skin belonged to Hinata and he couldn’t wait to see his reaction. Any jealousy that Hinata felt before would instantly be proven obsolete and Kageyama’s heart fluttered at the prospect.

There _had never been_ and _never would be_ another person on the earth that Kageyama loved as much as Hinata. The redhead had once said that he wanted to make a mark on Kageyama like Kageyama had on him, but the irony in that was that he had been making marks since before he even knew the other man existed.

Hinata had single-handedly (but at the same time unwittingly) changed Kageyama’s life and – right then and there – Kageyama vowed that _someday_ , he would return the favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO KIYOYACHI IS A THING NOW <333
> 
> man i really hope this chapter makes sense lmao i wrote it all in one go at like 4am and then came back to edit it the next day and was like "uhhhh sure ok yeah that's what i meant" xD
> 
> come scream at me on tumblr! ----> kageyama-drama.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> hot damn i've gotten so many ideas for kagehina fics lately i'm so sorry  
> but hey, this is my first AU ever!! they aren't playing volleyball??? whaaaaatt??? i know, i was shocked too
> 
> let me know what you think and if you want me to continue this!!


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